Missy Elliott Says ‘Women Have Played a Big Part in Hip-Hop’

Missy Elliott, fresh from celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary at the Grammys and her Doritos Super Bowl commercial with Jack Harlow, wants more of her female rap pioneers to be honored by culture at large. In a new interview with forbesMissy implores the current wave of female rappers taking on hip-hop to research the acts that paved their way.

“Women have played a huge role in what we call hip-hop — in this culture,” she says. “These women are my friends, and we don’t just get together when it’s time to perform; We talk on the phone and hang out together, but I’m never in such a relaxed, comfortable environment because I keep thinking that these are the same women I looked up to and still do. You have kicked in the doors of every woman you see today in 2023. While the women who are out now may not know all of her records, they need to know that these women are the reason they can on many of these platforms.”

For example, she credits Salt-N-Pepa with inspiring her to rhyme. “It felt like they were the whole package,” she says. “They had the records, but they also made us want to dress like them. They were just smooth. They also danced and was the reason I started rapping.” Hopefully she can pass that torch on; She’s currently a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominee for the Class of 2023, so her draft is worth following.

Missy Elliott is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.