On Thursday, Missy Elliott was officially inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, making her the first female rapper to ever be inducted.
The ceremony took place in New York City, and many people were on deck to honor Missy, including Queen Latifah, Da Brat and Lizzo. She even received a special message from our Forever First Lady Michelle Obama.
According to USA Today, Michelle said in a recorded message, “Missy, I want to thank you for all of your trailblazing ways. Thank you not for just sharing your gift with the world, but for being an advocate for so many people out there, especially young girls who are still figuring out how to make their voices heard.”
During her speech, Missy became emotional as she said, “Every time I come up to a podium … even with all the work that I’ve done, I don’t know, and I’m assuming it’s just God, I don’t know why I am here. I want to say one thing to the writers, to the upcoming writers, ‘Do not give up.’ We all go through writer’s block. Sometimes you just have to walk away from a record and come back to it. But don’t give up because I’m standing here. And this is big for hip-hop, too.”
As we previously reported, Missy has become the third rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Jay-Z became the first rapper, and then Jermaine Dupri followed behind him last year.
Missy has been killing it in this game for many years, with her career spanning over 20 years. She has not only written hits for herself, but she has written songs for other major artists such as Aaliyah, Fantasia, Ciara, Jazmine Sullivan, Mary J. Blige, Total, Monica, and many others.
Congrats again to Missy Elliott!
