Missy Elliott becomes first ever female rapper to join Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

American rapper Missy Elliott is now the first ever female rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She is one of the 13 artists that are to be inducted, as revealed by the Cleveland Museum.

They applauded the rapper for her influence on the industry and the path that she has opened up for other female artists, saying she paved “new paths for women in the music industry and society at large through her behind-the-scenes mastery and unapologetic ownership of her body, her sexual desires, and her Blackness in her music.”

For an artist to be eligible for induction in the Hall of Rock & Roll, they have to have released an album 25 years before their induction. This was the first time that Missy Elliot was eligible to receive the honor.

Some of the other artists who will be inducted alongside Elliot are Kate Bush, Don Cornelius, Rage Against the Machine, George Michael and more.