Missy Elliott will forever be one of the most underrated legends of hip-hop. Not only was she one of the pioneers for the ladies as a rapper but she is one of the best songwriter-producers to ever touch a pen and soundboard. Because of the hard work and success, Missy is set to receive an honorary degree alongside Justin Timberlake and music orchestrator and director Alex Lacamoire.
ANNOUNCEMENT: @jtimberlake, @MissyElliott, and @LacketyLac to Receive Honorary Doctorates at #Berklee Commencement https://t.co/6OvOkfWCkE pic.twitter.com/k9Bsr1W42G
— Berklee College of Music (@BerkleeCollege) March 12, 2019
Missy grew up singing in her church choir and developed a strong bond with music due to a turbulent childhood. By the late ’80s, she formed an all-female R&B group which grabbed the attention of the likes of Ginuwine, Jodeci’s DeVante Swing, and eventually future collaborators Mary J. Blige and Timbaland. After writing songs for some of the above, Missy and Timbaland became the dynamic duo writing hits that are still played regularly today, most notably like the iconic classics such as “One In A Million” sung by Aaliyah.
Most people jump straight to rapping Missy and gloss over what was probably the most impressive part in her writing ability. Credited or uncredited, Missy has helped write hip-hop, rap, and R&B tracks for some of their respective genres’ biggest artists. Elliott has released six studio albums and each of them have gone at least gold with five hitting top ten peaks in the charts.
Congratulations to a legend — one who’s still making music decades later and even showing up in records with today’s big names such as J. Cole though she carries five Grammys with her. She joins amazing company such as Aretha Franklin, Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, and others to get this honorary degree from Berklee. She is also the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
