Missy Elliot Emotional as She Becomes the First Female Rapper Inducted Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Missy Elliot failed to hold back tears as she gave her acceptance speech for being the first female rapper inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The 52-year-old music icon was announced as an honoree last May and was introduced by Queen Latifah before she savored her moment onstage. Queen Latifah commended Missy Elliot for her innovative music, saying, “Nothing sounded the same after Missy came on the scene.”
Further praising the honoree, Queen Latifah continued, “And that’s because Missy has always been a futurist, someone who is always looking ahead. She is avant-garde without even trying.”
Latifah also pointed out her winning boldness and confidence. In her introduction, Latifah said, “Missy has never been afraid to speak out about the misconceptions, the stereotypes, and the straight-up misogyny that has been placed—and the obstacles—that have been put in place in the way of women.”
The actress also acknowledged the fact that Missy Elliot was receiving her new honor just two years after becoming part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The rap icon, born Melissa, addressed the cheering audience in Brooklyn by saying, “This is the 50th anniversary of hip hop, so this is different than me just being up here.”
Recall that earlier this year, Miss Elliot took to Twitter—now X—to share her excitement about being included as one of the 2023 Hall of Fame honorees.
She wrote, “I want to say this is HUGE not for just me but all my Sisters in HIPHOP. This door is now OPEN to showcase the hard work & what many of us contribute to MUSIC.”
Further in her post, Missy continued, “I have cried all morning because I am GRATEFUL thank you @rockhall & all on the committee & Supafriends.”
Missy Elliot’s music has been known to resonate with the universal message that “it’s possible to do everything and to be great at it.”
Missy, a native of Virginia, again proved why she deserves the commendation by performing some of her biggest hits. She performed a medley of “Get Ur Freak On,”
The Rain,” “Work It,” “Pass That Dutch,” and “Lose Control”—much to the audiences’ delight.
During her acceptance speech, Missy expressed her disbelief. The starstruck performer said, “I’m still pinching myself to even be in a room with some of the inductees that I see. We all love music in some form.”
Another reason the star-studded induction ceremony was extra special for the Grammy-winning performer is because it will be the first time Patricia, her mom, will see her perform live. During her interview with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America, she sheepishly admitted that she has always been too shy to have her devout Christian mother be there in the audience.
Due to the recognition, Missy made an exception and wanted her mother there to celebrate one of the most significant milestones in her career.
She added, “She’s seen me on TV but has never been to a show. I had some little words I didn’t ever want her to hear. She’s coming for the first time.”
