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Music
Missy Elliott
Born 1971
Fact
First female rapper in the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Fact
First female hip-hop artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Fact
Has produced for Aaliyah, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson
Missy Elliott rewrote the rules of hip-hop and R&B as a producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Growing up in Portsmouth, Virginia, she survived an abusive childhood and channeled her pain into art, forming a partnership with Timbaland that produced some of the most innovative sounds in music history.
Her debut Supa Dupa Fly in 1997 announced a new kind of female artist — one who controlled her own narrative, sound, and image.
As a songwriter and producer for Aaliyah, Beyonce, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson, Elliott shaped contemporary pop from behind the scenes.
Do not be afraid to be an oddball. The things that make you strange are the things that make you powerful.— Missy Elliott
Key Milestones
A Life in Firsts
1971
Born in Portsmouth, Virginia
1991
Forms partnership with Timbaland
1997
Supa Dupa Fly debuts at number three on Billboard 200
2002
Work It becomes one of the most iconic rap songs ever
2019
First female rapper in Songwriters Hall of Fame
2023
First female hip-hop artist in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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