As if there was a shortage of reasons to stan the incomparable Missy Elliott; the rapper, songwriter and producer’s legacy just received another history-making recognition.
As announced on Saturday (Jan. 12), Elliott will officially join the 2019 class of Songwriters Hall of Fame, making her the first female hip hop artist to be inducted.
As announced by the Hall of Fame chairman Nile Rodgers, Elliott will be inducted alongside Dallas Austin, Tom T. Hall, John Prine, Jack Tempchin and Yusuf/Cat Stevens. Much like the name suggests, the Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates and honors the contributions of pop culture’s greatest music songwriters.
During a segment that shared the news on CBS, Rodgers commented on Elliott’s historic induction, calling it “amazing” and adding, “To me it’s important to have equality. I’ve written with a lot of women songwriters, but not nearly enough.”
Elliott herself took to Twitter to react to the news, taking a moment to congratulate her fellow inductees for their influential contributions to popular music.
“I want to CONGRATULATE all the AMAZING songwriters who have been inducted into the 2019 ‘Song Writers Hall of Fame,’” Elliott wrote on Twitter. “Also, those who were nominated because their body of work is AMAZING. I AM SO HUMBLY GRATEFUL to now be inducted also. I [heart emoji] you all #SHOF2019.”
As word spread that Elliott has made history with such a prestigious recognition, many noted how she is the third hip hop act overall to be inducted, joining the likes of JAY-Z (the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame) and Jermaine Dupri.
In addition to writing platinum hits as a solo artist, the multifaceted talent has also penned songs for a variety of artists like Aaliyah (“One in a Million”), Ciara (“1 2 Step”), Mya (“My Love is Like Woah”), Beyoncé, Janet Jackson and Mary J. Blige, among others. She is currently working on what is reported to become her first album in 14 years.
Congrats to Missy Elliott on being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame!