Missy Elliott made everyone lose control with her powerful performance at the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday.
The hip-hop pioneer and fashion icon became the first-ever woman rapper to be inducted into the rock hall and closed out its four-hour show with a booming medley of her greatest hits, including “Get Ur Freak On,” “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “Work It,” “Pass That Dutch,” and “Lose Control.”
Queen Latifah, who described Elliott as “avant-garde without even trying,” presented the honor to the artist, who was dressed in a glimmering golden sweatsuit and bucket hat, the Associated Press reports.
“Trust me, nothing sounded the same after Missy Elliott came on the scene,” Latifah recalled. “Nothing. All the kick snares, everything changed. The bass lines changed, the pockets changed, the cadence, the writing. And that’s because Missy has always been a futurist, someone who’s always looking ahead.”
In her own speech, Elliott became emotional as she discussed the 50th anniversary of hip-hop and explained that she was “still pinching myself to even be in a room” with this year’s inductees, per video footage from the event.
The rapper also revealed that her mom had never seen her perform live until the ceremony, simply because, she said, “I never wanted my mother to come to a show to hear me curse because she goes to church.”
Elliott joined an impressive group of inductees this year, including rock star Sheryl Crow; country icon Willie Nelson; another lauded avant-garde artist, Kate Bush; late pop superstar George Michael; funk-metal masters Rage Against the Machine; legendary vocal group the Spinners; influential songwriter and longtime Elton John collaborator Bernie Taupin; and more.
For the first time, the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame ceremony streamed live this year, allowing viewers to tune in on-demand or on Disney+. Audio could also be streamed live through Apple Music 1. You can also catch a two-hour prime-time special of the event — featuring highlights and performances from the induction — on Jan. 1 on ABC, or stream it on Jan. 2 on Hulu and Disney+.
Watch Elliott work it in her Hall of Fame performance above.
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