Grammy award-winning rapper and producer, Missy Elliot was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier this month.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is an internationally-recognized honor bestowed upon entertainment icons, with about 24 ceremonies annually broadcast around the world. Notable honorees include others like Billy Graham, Kirk Franklin, Jackie Wilson, and Shirley Caesar.
During the ceremony, Elliot credited God for her achievement. “I want to thank God, first of all, because I have been sick, there’s been times I’ve had anxiety, depression, and through the grace of God and faith, I have kept going,” she said.
The producer has had several successful studio albums, her most popular being Supa Dupa Fly, Da Real World, and Miss E.. So Addictive.
She admitted that she didn’t want to be a celebrity, but label executives Sylvia Rhône and Marilyn Bodd convinced her too. “They told me that if I gave them one album, they would give me a record label and so from that one album ended up six.”
In 2002, she won her first Grammy for her single, “Get your Freak On,” produced by Timbaland who heard Bhangra music while traveling. Elliot has also won multiple awards that included BET Awards for best female hip-hop artist and MTV Video Awards for her unique music videos.
The songwriter has produced music for female singers and rappers like Beyoncé, Lil’ Kim, and Mary J. Blige. She wanted to pay homage to them as well with her award.
“I kind of give this to my female MC’s in hip-hop, to my sister’s in hip-hop. I want to say, ‘I love each and every one of y’all. The one’s that’s poppin’ now [and] the ones that’s about to be poppin.’
