So let’s not get into how long it took, but Missy Elliott finally received her well-deserved star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
There to honor the iconic rapper during the induction ceremony were some of Missy's many famous collaborators and, including Mona Scott-Young, Ciara and Lizzo, who honored Missy with a teary-eyed speech praising Missy’s influence not just for her—but for so many generations throughout her 30-year career.
Lizzo started off by exuberantly saying, “I only have one thing to say to Hollywood Blvd: You’re welcome!” Then took a brief pause to let the crowd know that she hadn’t prepared a speech since she thought she “was just coming to hang out. And now I’m about to cry!”
Switching gears from elated to emotional, fighting back tears, Lizzo, who collaborated with Elliott on “Tempo” in 2019, said, “you are the brightest star in the universe, Missy. I’ve watched you my entire life and I saw a superstar in you, but I’d also seen myself. I’d never seen myself and you lived so boldly and so beautifully and so unapologetically and so out loud.”
She continued, “you have no idea what you have done for so many Black girls. We don’t deserve you. We don’t deserve Missy Elliott and still you continue to give to us, and given with your heart. Your genius. Let me just drop some words: Genius! Icon! Queen… queen of Hip Hop! Visionary! I want to thank you so much for helping me in my career. I never in a million years thought I’d get to meet you and not only did I get to meet you, but we worked in the studio together! Thank you for making my dreams comes true. You have no idea what you mean to all of us Missy. We love you. We celebrate you. God Bless You. This is more than deserved. Let us continue to celebrate all of your accomplishments and your influence forever. We love you so much Missy. Congratulations.”
Ummm, yeah gotta say — not bad for an impromptu speech. Actually, it was incredibly moving and undoubtedly full of facts. Check out the entire emotional speech below.
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