Missy Elliott’s welcome comeback continues apace with a preview of her forthcoming single, produced with help from regular co-conspirator Timbaland. 

In the past, the pair’s collective labours have yielded some particularly succulent fruit: ‘Whatcha Gon Do’, ‘Work It’, ‘Pass That Dutch’,  and, of course, ‘Get Ur Freak On’ are all notable milestones in either of their long careers. Timbaland also covered the majority of the production on Elliott’s Under Construction (2002) and This Is Not A Test (2003) – not to mention this writer’s pet favourite, Tweet’s Missy-featuring ‘Oops (Oh My)’).

As reported, Elliott had been expected to unveil two new singles over the weekend. As it happened, fans instead woke up to an 85 second snippet of comeback track ‘9th Inning’ (not, obviously, to be confused with the recent-ish EP from mumbly nomad Gonjasufi).

Based around a Gothic piano loop, it’s much less impish – and, we’d wager, less immediate – than your typical Timbaland/Elliott team-up. Still, the pair have a habit of doing the unexpected and waiting for everyone else to catch up, so we’re keen to hear the finished product.

Another comeback single, ‘Triple Threat’, is reportedly set to drop soon. Missy Elliott’s album, tentatively titled ‘Block Party”, is expected before the end of the year, and will be her first since 2005’s The Cookbook. The badass cover art for ‘9th Inning’ is also available below. [via Prefix]