Missy Elliott & Queen Latifah Earn National Medal of Arts

Written by Lexx Thornton

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. Recently, Elliott made history 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. 

 “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 deserves all the BOUQUETS…Thank you, QUEEN, for kicking down doors for me & those after you,” Elliott captioned a post on social media. 

 The 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.