Photo Credit: Missy Elliott/Instagram
The 2019 Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner took place last night at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City where history was made with Missy Elliott becoming the first female rapper inducted. With over 2 decades of writing massive hits for women across the industry ranging from Aaliyah, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Monica, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Ariana Grande, Destiny’s Child, Fantasia, Jazmine Sullivan, SWV, Total, 702, Mya, Tweet among others, she’s been an industry staple for a generation.
And of course, there’s Missy’s own hits including and not limited to Get Ur Freak On to Work It and Lose Control. These are hits that are so timeless that when she performed at the Super Bowl a few years ago, viewers thought she was a new artist trying to be like Nicki Minaj. There couldn’t be a bigger compliment in the sense that she clearly looks nowhere near her age, (when did Missy get to 47 and where were we?) and hits from a decade ago fit right in with today’s music.
Inducted first by Queen Latifah, Michelle Obama appeared in a taped statement about how much of a fan she is of Missy saying, “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.”
New artist Lizzo gave a tribute to Missy performing her 90’s hit Sock It 2 Me alongside Da Brat staying true to character down to the fingerwaves before Missy gave her acceptance speech. “I am thankful,” she said before breaking down in tears. “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.” She continued, “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.”
This combined with Missy getting an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music last month is making 2019 prove to be a great year for Missy.
