If a prominent personality wants to share his or her success, landing a reality show is one way to do it.

Donald Trump, Tyra Banks and Richard Branson have, and Missy Elliott is joining their ranks. The Grammy Award-winning performer of hip-hop hits such as "Get Ur Freak On" and "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" gives 13 aspiring performers the chance for their big break on the unscripted UPN series "The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott," premiering Wednesday, Jan. 5.

With cameras and microphones trained on them always, the hopefuls literally go on the road, traveling together in a tour bus and facing challenges designed to reveal how they deal with various aspects of the music business. Elliott and the other judges -- singer Teena Marie, producer Dallas Austin and manager Mona Scott -- determine who stays, eliminating one contender per week and giving the eventual winner $100,000 and a deal with Elliott's record label. Madonna and Busta Rhymes make guest appearances along the way.

Elliott, who is producing the series in association with Arnold Shapiro and Allison Grodner ("Big Brother"), says she's recalling her career roots while helping others jump-start their own dreams.

Zap2it: Having filmed the complete series after your concert tour with Beyonce and Alicia Keys, how did you find the process?

Elliott: This was a whole different ball game, coming off the road and then going to TV and having cameras on you constantly. I'm used to cameras, but not to that degree. I had just come off tour, so I was very tired, but it was a lot of fun. It was cool.

Zap2it: Since it's about the search for a new music star, how does your show compare to "American Idol"?

Elliott: I'm a watcher of "American Idol," and I was very happy that Fantasia won, but this is a whole different type of show. Reality is reality at the end of the day, but this is more than that, because you get a chance to see what it takes to be an artist ... not just someone getting onstage and performing.

You get a chance to see the hard work behind it and to see if they are capable. Just because you can sing, you might not have that characteristic to be a superstar. Every singer can't keep a crowd's attention, so you have to have drive, you have to have personality, all of that.

Zap2it: How much time did you spend with the contestants?

Elliott: Oh, man, a lot of time. I didn't get a chance to be there for the wake-up and bedtime calls, but I was there a lot, and I did learn a lot from them. That's what I think is great about this show, because you're not just seeing people get up there and sing or rap. These are regular people, just like anybody else, and that's what I want people to see. When you see Missy Elliott, don't look at me as the superstar on TV. Look at me as a human being. I cry. I laugh. I like to go to amusement parks. I use the bathroom, just like each and every one of you do.

Zap2it: What was your own career start like?

Elliott: I worked with a group of people who didn't allow us to do anything. I didn't have money to go out and get the great deodorant I can go get now, or the food I can eat now, and we didn't have cars to be able to take us around town. Plenty of times, we walked to the studio in the snow. We had somebody who would rip our self-esteem down. When I look at these kids, they had it hard, but it could get harder than what you are going to see.

Zap2it: Did you ultimately find your earlier hardships beneficial?

Elliott: The funny thing is that I learned a lot in a sick, twisted way. Back then, I didn't think any of it made sense. It was just like somebody was trying to control me, and my life was in their hands. There were times where we couldn't listen to the radio and we couldn't watch TV, but it worked for me because it made me create my own style. If I had a crystal ball back then to see I was going to end up here, of course I wouldn't have thought it was crazy. I would have thought it was a great idea.

Zap2it: Could you talk about your involvement in Break the Cycle, an initiative to help young people stop domestic abuse?

Elliott: I had the situation where my father abused my mother. I feel you get artists who contribute to different organizations, but they really don't have any knowledge about them. Some people may do it for tax [purposes] or to just say that they're a part of something, but I felt like I needed to be a part of an organization where I could help because I had been through the situation and I could relate to it.

Zap2it: What do you think about the reach and acceptance of hip-hop music today?

Elliott: Hip-hop is mainstream now, so there's a lot of different cultures. I was in Japan, and if I had to compare, I think it could be as huge in Japan as over here. I was in New Zealand, and to see that culture and hip-hop ... that's the great thing about this show. It's not just one nationality that you're getting. You're getting all different types.