The accolades keep coming in for Missy Elliott. Recently having a street named after her (after landing a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2021), Elliott has now been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Landing the acclaim on her first opportunity to do so, she will join Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, George Michael, and The Spinners.
She isn’t the only hip hop act to be inducted. DJ Kool Herc, widely considered to be the godfather an inventor of hip hop culture itself, will be inducted after receiving the Musical Influence Award. Meanwhile the late Don Cornelius — who created the influential show Soul Train — will be a recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
“This year’s incredible group of Inductees reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define rock & roll,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “We are honored that this November’s Induction Ceremony in New York will coincide with two milestones in music culture; the 90th birthday of Willie Nelson and the 50th Anniversary of the birth of Hip Hop.”
Unfortunately, A Tribe Called Quest were unable to push through, having been nominated for the second time following their 2022 nod.
Missy is the best-selling female rapper in Nielsen Music history, with sales of over 30 million records in the United States alone. Known for her vibrantly creative and memorably colorful music videos, she is also a 2019 Songwriters Hall Of Fame inductee. Many hip hop artists today have credited Missy as an influence on their own respective careers: Cardi B, Anderson .Paak, Lizzo, Doja Cat, Ari Lennox, Ciara, Rapsody, Flo Milli, Lil Wayne, and Solange are among the many people inspired by her.
Missy becomes the eleventh hip hop artist, sixth solo act, and first woman hip hop artist, to be inducted, following Eminem (in 2022) Jay-Z and LL Cool J (2021), The Notorious B.I.G. (2020), 2Pac (2017), N.W.A. (2016), Public Enemy (2012), The Beastie Boys (2012), Run DMC (2009) and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (2007).
