This past Friday, music icon Missy Elliott celebrated her birthday and several history-making honors with exclusive tequila partner PATRÓN at an exciting platinum party in Atlanta.
“It was amazing,” Elliott tells ESSENCE. “I saw some of my peers that I hadn’t seen in a long time. So, it was really fun reconnecting with them – and the dancers, you know I love a good dance segment. It was chill, everyone was vibing; it just felt really good to be there.”
Hosted by Mona Scott-Young – Elliott’s longtime manager and CEO of Monami Entertainment – the event included a star-studded group of Elliott’s friends, including Timbaland, Lil Kim, Trina, Serayah, Taraji P. Henson, Jermaine Dupri, Irv Gotti, Kandi Burris-Tucker, Todd Tucker and more. Guests sipped on specialty PATRÓN cocktails and jammed to DJ and Grammy-winning producer/songwriter Bryan-Michael Cox throughout the night as they raised a glass to the icon’s 51st birthday. During the celebration, Elliott was presented with the Recording Industry Association of America platinum plaque for being the only female Hip Hop artist with six, certified-platinum studio albums, and the evening also served as a nod to the 25th anniversary of her 1997 ground-breaking debut album – Supa Dupa Fly, with Atlantic Records presenting her with a custom plaque.
“It was a huge honor and a pleasure to present and celebrate Missy Elliott with the Supa Dupa Fly 25th Anniversary plaque from her Atlantic Records family, during her multi-milestone celebration,” says Lanre Gaba, Co-President of Black Music, Atlantic Records. “Missy has paved the way for so many artists of all genres and she ultimately stands undoubtedly in a category all her own. There is only one Missy Elliott, and to her, we are truly grateful for her brilliance and all the barriers she’s broken past – including being the only female Hip Hop artist who’s had all six of her albums go platinum. Missy Elliott you are an icon living.”
“Twenty-five years ago, Supa Dupa Fly launched Missy Elliott into the stratosphere of music history and in a heartbeat changed the conversation about who women could be and what they could accomplish in Hip Hop,” states Mitch Glazier, RIAA CEO. “She is the only female Hip Hop artist in history to have every one of her albums certified RIAA platinum, and an unstoppable all-time legend in our business. Happy birthday, Missy, from all of us at RIAA. You keep making records and we’ll keep making plaques to honor them!”
During the event curated by Monami Entertainment and produced by Presume Marketing Agency in partnership with PATRÓN tequila, Mona Scott-Young provided a beautiful introduction for the woman of the hour, following an energetic dance medley from The Misdemeanors. In what became a powerful moment in her tribute, Mona spoke about the perception of Black female musicians in the late-90s, and how Missy shattered that mold.
“Missy Elliott did not fit the mold, the silhouette, the body image, the type that was considered successful for a female artist in her day,” Mona said. “But she challenged that. She challenged them to judge her by her talent.”
Missy and Mona Scott-Young have maintained both a working and a personal relationship for more than two decades. In her conversation with ESSENCE, Missy spoke glowingly about her fellow entertainment mogul, saying “Ever since Mona began managing me, we have been really tight. I’ve been there for both of her children – one has graduated, and the other is in college now – and we go at it just like siblings, but we always come right back, because that’s my sister.”
“This celebration not only commemorated the mind-blowing multi-milestones in Missy’s iconic career, but it also presented a pinnacle moment for me personally as it marked 26 years of sisterhood and friendship,” added Mona Scott-Young. “I am incredibly blessed every day to have the opportunity to collaborate with the creative genius that is Missy Elliott as she is so much more than a client; she is one of my closest friends. It was an absolute pleasure to partner with PATRÓN to give Missy her much deserved flowers and celebrate her monumental achievements!”
On theme for the evening, all the guests were decked out in white and platinum attire, and had the option to partake in six custom PATRÓN cocktails named after Missy’s six, certified-platinum studio albums including the PATRÓN “Supa Dupa Fly” Margarita, which is the featured signature cocktail, alongside “Da Real World,” “Miss E…So Addictive,” “Under Construction,” “This is Not a Test!,” and “The Cookbook.”
“At PATRÓN, we are proud to work with bold innovators who are at the top of their game – and there is no better embodiment than Missy Elliott. We are so thrilled to partner with Missy Elliott and Monami Entertainment to take part in such a legendary night where we celebrated 25 years of greatness,” said Allie Bostwick, Global Director of Communications, Culture & Brand Partnerships at PATRÓN tequila. “We raised a glass of PATRÓN to toast to Missy’s extraordinary successes and a Platinum-themed birthday celebration that we will never forget.”
The party also featured a community wall presented by PATRÓN where guests were able to write personal congratulatory messages for Missy. After receiving a custom bedazzled bottle of PATRÓN and a PATRÓN Tequila bottle birthday cake, her longtime friend, Lil Wayne, sent her a heartfelt video where he rapped one of Missy’s own verses in honor of her birthday. Watch the full video here.
After speeches from Atlantic Records, Trina, Lil Kim and Timbaland, Missy concluded the presentation by thanking her peers, fans, and attendees, as well as Beyoncé Knowles for sending a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
Take a look at photos from the evening below.
