Missy Elliott has added another notch to her ever-growing list of accolades. Today, the music icon became one of seven music figures announced as having been voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Elliott is the only artist in this crop to have made it into the hall in her first year of eligibility, being 25 years out from her first album, Supa Dupa Fly. According to Variety, the Virginia native is the first female rapper to enter the all, as well as being the 11th rapper overall, following acts like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Jay-Z, N.W.A. and Eminem.
“Missy Elliott got in first ballot, just like Eminem got in first ballot last year and Jay-Z the year before,” that the general ballot voted Kate in this year,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame said in a statement. “So if there’s a throughline we’re seeing, it shows the power of hip-hop music culture now, as if we didn’t know it already, as far as how quickly these artists are being recognized on the first ballot.”
The icons will officially be anointed as rock ‘n’ roll royalty on Nov. 3 when the 38th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
In addition to today’s news, ESSENCE announced last month that Elliott would headline the 2023 ESSENCE Festival. The influential artist joins previously announced acts Lauryn Hill and Megan Thee Stallion – marking the first time the festival has had an all-woman hip-hop headliners lineup.
“I am so excited to be headlining at the 2023 ESSENCE Festival of Culture, especially because this year also marks 50 years of Hip Hop culture,” the Grammy Award-winning entertainer said. “ESSENCE has always supported and provided a platform for Black women and I am so honored and grateful to be part of this celebration of Hip Hop and sisterhood.”
The upcoming ESSENCE Festival will be held June 29 – July 3 in New Orleans, and will serve as a multi-day celebration of the 50th year of Hip-Hop. The event will include a special curated performance by Doug E. Fresh, a So So Def performance with Jermaine Dupri, and many more.