Missy Elliottis reminiscing on her early days as a Jackson 5 fangirl after receiving a prestigious honor in the music industry herself.
On Saturday, the 8th annual Black Music Honors will premiere on the Stellar Networks, where Elliott will receive the 2023 Innovator Icon award. In a video interview premiering exclusively with PEOPLE, the rapper opened up about what this moment meant for her.
Missy Elliott.Derek Bland
Derek Bland
Elliott (born Melissa Arnette Elliott) is alsoset to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fameon Nov. 3. In light of the honor, she recalled her days as a young girl, writing fan mail toJanet Jackson.
“Janet said that she is proud of me. You have to understand — the majority of us look at the Jacksons like royalty. To have Janet Jackson say that she’s proud of you — that speaks for itself,” the “Get Ur Freak On” singer says.
She adds, “I think anybody would just be in awe — she’s somebody that I used to write to. I used to get my mother to get 25-cent stamps. I said, ‘They’re gonna come pick me up — her and Michael are gonna pick me up from school.’ I used to visualize them in a limo pulling up to my school. To now be friends with her and to have her say that she’s proud of me means the world to me.”
In November, the “Lost Control” singer — who made the list in the first year of eligibility — will be the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — and she’s still “pinching herself.”
“There’s so many women before who have inspired me. I always say a root cannot stand alone you have to have a foundation and that foundation has gotten me to this place,” she says. “They are the shoulders that I stand on.”
Johnny Nunez/Getty
She adds of the induction: “I never thought that in a million years… that’s probably the top tier of making it as an artist. A lot of people went up a bunch of times and still haven’t gotten that. I didn’t have this on the bingo card but I have worked hard.”
Elliott will be inducted alongsideKate Bush,Sheryl Crow,George Michael,Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and The Spinners in the performer category.
source: people.com
