Missy Elliott officially became the first female rapper to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Friday night at the induction ceremony in Brooklyn, New York.
After Queen Latifah paid tribute to the artist, Elliot took the stage to deliver an electrifying performance to some of her hit songs, including “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It” and “Lose Control.”
“I’ve been through so many ups and downs and I know where my gifts come from,” Missy, who was the final artist to be inducted, said. “God has brought me all the way here. He has allowed me to meet some incredible people along the way. I’m still pinching myself to even be in a room with some of the inductees that I see.”
“And this is the 50th year anniversary of hip-hop. And so this is deeper than me just being up here,” she added.
And speaking of the birth of hip-hop, DJ Kool Herc, the founder of the genre, was honored with the Musical Influence Award and received an introduction from LL Cool J.
Queen of Funk Chaka Khan was also inducted, with a touching introduction from Jazmine Sullivan. She performed a medley of her hits with help from Common, H.E.R. and Sia. Influential R&B group The Spinners were inducted with a tribute performance by New Edition, and Don Cornelius, the creator and host of Soul Train, was honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The ceremony streamed live on Disney+ Friday night. ABC will air a special featuring performance highlights and moments from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on Monday, January 1, at 8 p.m. ET.
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