Missy Elliott continues to make history and further cement her ICON status.
On Wednesday, the Hip-Hop legend became the first female rapper ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of their 2023 class.
Missy joins Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, George Michael, Sheryl Crow, and The Spinners. The acts were inducted after a general voting balloting process. Meanwhile, an additional group was selected by a select Hall of Fame committee to join the class of 2023.
Those inductees include living legend, Chaka Khan, instrumentalist-producer Al Kooper, and lyricist Bernie Taupin, all in the “musical excellence” category; pioneering rock guitarist Link Wray and hip-hop originator DJ Kool Herc in the “musical influence” division; and “Soul Train” TV host Don Cornelius as the recipient of the annual Ahmet Ertegun Award according to Variety.
The Hall of Fame celebrated Missy in a statement for forging “new paths for women in the music industry and society at large through her behind-the-scenes mastery and unapologetic ownership of her body, her sexual desires, and her Blackness in her music” and called her a “true pathbreaker in a male-dominated genre.”
Missy not only becomes the first female Hip-Hop artist EVER to join the exclusive club, but she also made the list in her very first year of eligibility.
In order to be eligible for the Hall, artists are “required to have released their first record 25 years prior to induction.” This year marked the first time that Elliott was eligible under the requirement. She is the only one from the 2023 class to do this in her first year of eligibility.
Missy took to her social media to celebrate the exciting news!
The honorees will be celebrated in an induction ceremony and concert to take place Nov. 3 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Congrats to all the honorees!
