Rap icon Missy Elliott was honored on Monday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Missy’s moment was memorialized by her close friends Mona Scott-Young, Lizzo and Ciara, who all spoke about the impact the “Throw It Back” singer has had on the industry and on them personally.
Scott-Young, who has managed Missy for over two decades, praised her long-time client and friend. She called Missy “the most humble, the sweetest, the most loving, the most giving, the most caring person” that she knows.
Missy was an integral part of the rise of Ciara’s career.
“Somehow, I got lucky enough to have Missy Elliott as my mentor and big sister. She made it seem like anything was possible and she still makes me feel that way today,” Ciara told the crowd.
“She paved the way for me and many others that followed. There is no one like Missy. No one like Missy. She oozes with boundless creativity, a visionary, the epitome of true artistry, strength, integrity, and grit. She created genre-blurring sounds of a modern hit-maker that continues to defy space and time.”
Ever humble, Missy delivered an emotional speech in front of her peers.
“I came here 20 years ago and just used to walk past all these stars and just imagine. It’s just a blessing to dream big,” she gushed. “I wanna send love to everybody from Virginia. 757, I love y’all. My mother who has been the backbone to everything that you see standing here. Timbaland, who couldn’t be here, but that is my right hand. We spent so many times at his house, dreaming of just doing music. Not even being successful, but just doing music and we stuck by each other all these years.”
Missy also shouted out her peers in Hip Hop: “I wanna give a big shoutout to the godmothers of this and that is Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Sha-Rock, Angie Stone, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa, and I know I’m probably missing some, but all of y’all who started before me— y’all are the backs that we stand on. Y’all are the foundation and I couldn’t stand here. Y’all ran so we could walk. Y’all stood for something, so we could sit comfortably. I thank y’all for this moment.”
