Missy Elliott made history as the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and she made sure every queen in the rap game was honored with her.
On Friday, November 3, the Virginia native was one of several honorees at the 38th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. During her acceptance speech, Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott said that she still couldn’t believe that she was receiving the honor alongside so many artists who have so many years on her. She also took the time out to honor the other women who influenced her career, including Queen Latifah who introduced her.
“I have to say Pepa who is here from Salt-N-Pepa,” Missy said. “Her and Queen Latifah, [MC] Lyte, Roxanne Shante, so many. Monie [Love], Yo-Yo, all those ones before me gave me their shoulders to stand on. So I just wanna take the time. My people say, ‘Hey, go up there, and people wanna hear from you, how you feel.’ But these are the people who inspired me and if it wasn’t for them and their music, I probably wouldn’t be standing here.”
Of course, Missy also took hit the stage in her all-gold outfit to perform some of her most notable records to date. She kicked off her set with “Get Ur Freak On” before she performed “Supa Dupa Fly (The Rain)” to the tune of other hits like “Sock It To Me” and “All N My Grill.” She also belted out other bangers like “Work It,” “Pass That Dutch” and closed out with “Lose Control.”
In addition to Missy Elliott, DJ Kool Herc was also honored with the Musical Influence Award presented by LL COOL J. For those who missed out on the livestream over the weekend, ABC will a condensed three-hour version of the event on January 1 at 8 p.m. Catch her performance below.
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