*Singer and rapper Missy Elliot has been immortalized in the Hollywood Walk of Fame with her very own star.
The music icon appeared at the ceremony Monday (Nov. 8) on Hollywood Boulevard in front of Amoeba Music.
As reported by Vibe, the City of Los Angeles declared Nov. 8 “Missy Elliott Day” as the Virginia native received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Missy was joined by her longtime manager, Mona Scott-Young, and fellow artists Ciara and Lizzo.
“I’ve had the honor of being Missy’s manager for the past 25+ years and so today, although, we’re here to talk about and to honor and commemorate the legacy and the genius that is Missy Misdemeanor Elliott— I wanna talk about Melissa Elliott,” said Scott-Young. “Missy Elliott inspired us to work it, but Melissa is the person who inspired and pushed me to put my thing down, flip it and reverse it […] It has been my absolute honor to have you in my life for so many years.
“You think Missy ‘Misdemeanor’ Elliott, you have no idea. Melissa Elliott is the most humble, the sweetest, the most loving, the most giving, the most caring person that I know, and today, we honor your contributions to the world.”
Watch Missy’s introduction and acceptance speech below.
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“We define music genres such as R&B, hip-hop and pop. And then there’s a genre of Missy.”
Ciara honors Missy Elliott at the artist’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony: “There is only one Missy.” https://t.co/Tec2oS5aGB pic.twitter.com/iRaFTFd4HX
— Variety (@Variety) November 8, 2021
Ciara reflected on first meeting her longtime collaborator.
“Somehow, I got lucky enough to have Missy Elliott as my mentor and big sister. She made it seem like anything was possible and she still makes me feel that way today,” she said. “She paved the way for me and many others that followed. There is no one like Missy. No one like Missy. She oozes with boundless creativity, a visionary, the epitome of true artistry, strength, integrity, and grit. She created genre-blurring sounds of a modern hit-maker that continues to defy space and time.”
Lizzo said to Missy, “You’re the brightest star in the universe, Missy. I don’t have the history they have with you, but I’ve watched you my entire life. I didn’t prepare anything today because I thought I was just coming to hang out and now I’m about to cry.”
She continued, “I saw a superstar in you, but I also saw myself. I’d never seen myself before and you lived so boldly and so beautifully and so unapologetically and so out loud. You have no idea what you’ve done for so many Black girls. We don’t deserve you. We don’t deserve Missy Elliot and still, you continue to give to us. You’ve given and given and given with your heart, your genius.”
Missy expressed her gratitude for her fans and supporters.
“I wanna thank God, first of all. Because I’ve been sick. There’s times I’ve been sick. Anxiety, depression, and through the grace of God and faith, I’ve kept going. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be standing here in front of a star,” she said.
“I came here 20 years ago and just used to walk past all these stars and just imagine. It’s just a blessing to dream big…I wanna send love to everybody from Virginia. 757, I love y’all. My mother who has been the backbone to everything that you see standing here. Timbaland, who couldn’t be here, but that is my right hand. We spent so many times at his house, dreaming of just doing music. Not even being successful, but just doing music and we stuck by each other all these years.”
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