Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah have made history!
On October 21, they became the first two rappers to receive National Medals of Arts honors. The ceremony was held at the White House, and they were among 30 other recipients including Spike Lee, Eva Longoria, and Steven Spielberg. The late Selena Quintanilla-Perez also received an award posthumously.
President Joe Biden also presented the awards for the 2022 and 2023 National Humanities Medals at the same ceremony. Missy Elliott shared her excitement about receiving the award on her social media.
“I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL! Crying Tears of JOY! Thinking of the days I wasn’t so strong but through FAITH & PRAYER, I kept going… I’m SO THANKFUL @Potus & CONGRATULATIONS to the other amazing ppl who was blessed with this honor.”
She added, “And a BIG CONGRATS to my sis @IAMQUEENLATIFAH who deserve all the bouquets she also was honored today! Thank you for kicking down doors QUEEN for me & those after you #NationalMedalofArts @FLOTUS The entire committee.”
Missy Elliott’s award comes after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Queen Latifah is eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since her 1989 debut album All Hail the Queen turned 25 in 2014. At this year’s ceremony, she performed as part of the tribute to A Tribe Called Quest’s induction ceremony.