Missy Elliot becomes first female rapper to be inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The rapper said ‘words cannot describe’ how honoured she is

Missy Elliot has said she is in awe at becoming the first ever female rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Even after a career as legendary as hers, the rapper still can’t believe she has been awarded such an honour.

The 52-year-old will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Friday night (November 3) alongside George Michael, Sheryl Crow, Kate Bush, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and The Spinners.

Missy told Good Morning America that “words cannot describe” how honoured she feels, saying that it felt “so far out of reach” to enter the prestigious Hall of Fame as a hip-hop artist.

She said that the honour was proof that “the hip-hop world is something special and unique.”

Speaking about her fellow 2023 inductees, the Get Ur Freak On star said: “To even be at a table with them is a blessing, past a blessing, there’s got to be a bigger word than that.”

Missy will join fellow rap legends such as N.W.A, Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G. and Eminem in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

But she will have the honour of being the first female rapper to enter the RRHOF Museum in Cleveland.

Her long-time friend Queen Latifah, who will induct the chart-topper, said Missy Elliot was someone who “came before me, open that door, left it open… And I owe so many flowers, bouquets. It’s not enough bouquets for those women that came before me. And she’s one of those women.”

Missy’s mum will also be in attendance at the induction ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with the rapper revealing it will be the first time her mother has ever seen her perform live.

She told GMA: “She’s never been to a show because, you know, I had some little words I didn’t ever want her to hear. And so she’s coming for the first time.”