Missy Elliott became the first female hip-hop artist to be nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Wednesday. She reacted to the news by stating she was “humble and grateful” and that she hopes this paves the way for other female rappers.
“This is an incredible honor. I’m so humbled and grateful to be counted amongst all the incredible honorees,” she said in a statement shared with TheWrap. “I’ve spent my career making the kind of music I love and it means so much to know that I have touched others as well. But to hear that I am the first female hip hop artist to EVER be nominated into the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame?!? Wow!! This one hits extra different as I hope it opens doors for other female emcees to be recognized!”
Known for multiplatinum hits including “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It” and “Lose Control,” all of which she wrote and produced, Elliott was also the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019. That same year, she was also the first female rapper to receive the VMAs Vanguard Award (where she gave us this amazing performance) and the first honored with a Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Music Pioneer Award at the United Nations.
On Feb. 2, she will receive the 2023 Recording Academy Honors Global Impact Award presented by the Black Music Collective.
Mona Scott-Young, CEO of Monami Entertainment and Elliott’s manager of more than 25 years, stated, “Throughout her career, Missy has broken barriers and blazed a trail for women in music. This nomination is the latest in a long list of ‘firsts’ that solidify her place as one of the most significant artists in music history and a pioneer of female Hip Hop. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop than voting Missy Elliott into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!”
You can vote for her, and other nominees including Soundgarden, A Tribe Called Quest, Rage Against the Machine, Willie Nelson and Kate Bush, here.
Elliott’s Doritos commercial with Jack Harlow will drop during Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12. She and Katy Perry headlined the Super Bowl XLIX halftime show in 2015.
She has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and is the the best-selling female rapper in Nielsen music history. A four-time Grammy winner, she’s been nominated a total of 22 times. She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Nov. 2021.
