Missy Elliott has had quite the storied career, of which was recently highlighted in her Doritos commercial for the Super Bowl – but she wants to see the same appreciation for the women in rap who came before her.
In an interview with Forbes published on Tuesday (February 14), Missy was adamant about giving her predecessors their flowers and called for the women coming up in the game now to a the very least acknowledge their influence.
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“Women have played a big part in what we call Hip Hop in this culture,” she said. “These women are my friends, and we don’t just come together when it’s time to perform; we speak on the phone and hang around each other. I always think about how these are the same women that I looked up to and still do.”
She continued: “They have kicked down the doors for all the women you see today in 2023. Even if the women that are out now may not be familiar with all of their records, they have to know that these women are the reason they’re able to be on many of these platforms.”
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Missy went on to give flowers to Salt-N-Pepa, who she said inspired her career. “What made me say I want to be an emcee was Salt-N-Pepa,” she explained. “It felt like they were the whole package. They had the records, but they also made us want to dress like them. They were just smooth. They also danced and were the reason that I got into rapping.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Missy gave credit to the likes of Mary J. Blige, Diddy, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and again Salt and Pep for providing mentorship in her early days.
“I had people like Mary J. Blige and Diddy tell me what to do and how to be a go-getter, a hustler, be consistent and be different, things you need in this industry,” Missy Elliott said. “So when you have that mentor, it’s everything, especially someone who has already been on that walk. It’s very important for me to be a big sister to those coming behind me because I had Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Salt-N-Pepa be that to me.”
In addition to her Super Bowl commercial, Missy Elliott has been receiving her flowers from all over as of late. Since 2021, the legendary rapper/producer received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, was honored with her own street in her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia, became immortalized in wax with her first Madame Tussauds wax figure and received a Global Impact Award from the Recording Academy amid the 2023 Grammy Awards – where she also performed as part of the celebration of Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary.
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Missy also recently became a first-time nominee for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – and it happened in her very first year of eligibility. With her debut album Supa Dupa Fly having dropped in July 1997, the Virginia native meets the criteria – which states that 25 years must have passed since an artist’s first commercial recording.
“I have cried my eyes out,” she wrote on Instagram while reacting to the news. “I am so HUMBLY GRATEFUL for this nomination with also 14 other Amazing artist so grateful[.] To All of you & my fans who been through this journey with me I Thank You also 4 helping me get here[.] YOU ROCK.”
