Queen Latifah And Missy Elliott Become First Rappers To Receive National Medal Of Arts

Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott made history after the two legends became the first rap artists to be awarded a National Medal of Arts in light of their contributions to American culture and entertainment.

On Monday (Oct. 21), Latifah and Elliott were amongst 37 other honorees who attended the National Humanities awards ceremony at the White House, which was hosted by United States President Joe Biden.

The day following the ceremony, Missy Elliott took to social media to express her gratitude for the acknowledgement, which she reveals caused her emotions to overflow. “I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL!” the Virginia native wrote while sharing a news article recapping the event.

“Crying Tears of JOY! Thinking of the days I wasn’t so strong but through FAITH & PRAYER I kept going..I’m SO THANKFUL @POTUS,” Elliott continued, referencing her perseverance in light of past adversities. “CONGRATULATIONS to the other amazing ppl who was blessed with this honor.”

The Grammy Award winner followed up with a subsequent post paying reverence to fellow National Medal of Arts recipient Queen Latifah, who she credited as a trailblazer for herself and other women in Hip-Hop.

“A BiG CONGRATS to my sis @IAMQUEENLATIFAH who deserve all the bouquets,” Elliott added. “She also was honored today! Thank you for kicking down doors QUEEN for me & those after you.”

National Medals of Arts are awarded to “individuals or groups who are deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States.”

Other National Medal of Arts honorees include Spike Lee, Ken Burns, Steven Spielberg, Eva Longoria, and late singer Selena Quintanilla, who received a medal posthumously.

See Missy Elliott’s X posts here.