November 5, 2023
The celebrated artist was introduced by fellow female rapper Queen Latifah at the ceremony.
Missy Elliott and her legacy is now forever cemented in music history. The legendary artist has been formally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony held on Nov. 3 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The event celebrated its latest inductees, including fellow Black artists Chaka Khan and DJ Kool Herc, amid hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The “Get Your Freak On” artist was honored by others in her field, including Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B, in a video on her renowned artistry and influence in the game.
Queen Latifah introduced the groundbreaking female rapper, the first-ever to be inducted, by speaking on her impact on the music genre and the industry overall.
“Nothing sounded the same after Missy came onto the scene,” Latifah said, as reported by the Associated Press. “She is avant-garde without even trying.”
Elliott then came onto the stage to bask in her achievement with her peers, making a speech highlighting the other inductees in the room.
“I’m still pinching myself to even be in a room with some of the inductees,” shared the 52-year-old on the career milestone, as confirmed by Pitchfork. “I see Flavor Flav, who is a legend. I love you; always been supportive. Elton John, legendary. Sheryl Crow, Chaka Khan, Willie Nelson. All of these people have impacted people around the world through their music. Sometimes I be like, do people really realize, like through music, what music do with people? That’s the one thing I think we can all say that comes together is music.”
After being robustly honored for her work in the art form, the songstress performed a medley of some of her greatest hits, including “Work It” and “Lose Control,” to the music-loving crowd. These past few years have been celebratory for Elliott, receiving a Global Impact Award at the 2023 Grammy Awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022.
The Virginia native also touched on how, despite making a name for herself in hip-hop, this acknowledgment of its impact throughout all forms of music is especially significant,
“This is the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. And so this is deeper than me just being up here. I was telling Robin, you just feel like it’s so far to reach when you in the hip-hop world, and to be standing here, it means so much to me. I thank you all—the committee from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I just wanna say I love y’all and just try to spread love ’cause we so needed in this world.”
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