We couldn’t think of two more deserving artists!
Last week, President Joe Biden awarded 39 artists with the National Medals of Arts and Humanities, Rolling Stone reports. An annual celebration of the best and brightest artists, this year was historic, with Missy Elliott and Queen Latifah becoming the first rappers ever to receive the prestigious honor. No stranger to firsts, Latifah previously made history last year as the first woman rapper to receive the Kennedy Center Honors Award, with Elliott making history this year as the first hip-hop artist to have a song sent to space by NASA.
The National Medal of Arts is “the highest award given to artists, art patrons, and groups by the United States Government and honors exemplary individuals and organizations that have advanced the arts in America and offered inspiration to others through their distinguished achievement, support, or patronage,” as reported by The White House.
In addition to the pioneering hip-hop MCs, the White House also honored the 2022 and 2023 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities cohorts who didn’t receive their medals due to the coronavirus pandemic. Among the honorees were filmmakers Spike Lee, actress Eva Longoria, and posthumous honors for Anthony Bourdain and Selena Quintanilla.
“I am HUMBLY GRATEFUL Crying Tears of JOY! Thinking of the days I wasn’t so strong but through FAITH & PRAYER I kept going. I’m so thankful [to President Biden]. CONGRATULATIONS to the other AMAZING ppl who [were] blessed with this honor. A BIG CONGRATS to my sis [Queen Latifah] who deserve all the BOUQUETS…Thank you QUEEN for kicking down doors for me & those after you,” Elliott captioned a post on social media.
Tha National Humanities Medal is awarded annually to “[honor] individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities and broadened our citizens’ engagement with history, literature, languages, philosophy, and other humanities subjects.”
Elliott and Latifah now join other legendary artists who have received the coveted honor, including Gladys Knight, who was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2023.
Cover photo: Missy Elliott & Queen Latifah Make History as First Rappers to Receive National Medal of Arts/Photo credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images