The one and only Missy Elliot has become the first woman in rap to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Missy was one of seven musicians voted in by over 1000 other artists. On their website, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame cites Missy’s expansion of the rap sound, unafraid and unabashed songwriting, and creative video aesthetics as reasons for her induction.
“Missy 'Misdemeanor' Elliott was crucial to crafting the Virginia Beach sound that took over the airwaves in the late 1990s and 2000s,” they wrote. “Elliott forged 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.”
In a series of tweets, Elliott wrote she is ecstatic about the news and hopes it leads to more females in the genre receiving recognition.
“I want to say this is HUGE not for just me but all my sisters in HIPHOP,” she said. “This door is now OPEN to showcase the hard work and what many of us contribute to music. I have cried all morning because I am grateful.”
She also called out all her online haters, saying that despite the cyber bullies occasionally getting to her, she believes her music is evidence enough of her greatness.
“It’s times I have gotten online and seen ‘you’re irrelevant’ or ‘you’re a flop’ and it would crush me at times,” she wrote. “But God, you made me STRONG. I kept it going for and you allowed my decades of work to speak for itself. I am HUMBLED”.
Missy congratulated the other artists inducted with her - Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Willie Nelson, George Michael, and Sheryl Crow - saying that they have impacted music in a massive way throughout their "decades of hard work".
This year was the first year Missy was eligible for the Hall of Fame, making her a certified first-ballot Hall of Famer - huge congrats to Missy!
