Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott became the first rap artists to receive the prestigious National Medal of Arts on Monday.
Elliot celebrated the milestone on Instagram with a video of herself and Queen Latifah with the caption, “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@POTUS CONGRATULATIONS to the other AMAZING ppl who was blessed with this honor.”
The multiple award winner also hailed 54-year-old Queen Latifah.
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The 53-year-old artist wrote, “A BiG CONGRATS to my sis @queenlatifah who deserve all the BOUQUETS she also was honored yesterday! Thank you QUEEN for kicking down doors for me & those after you#NationalMedalsofArts @FLOTUS. The entire committee #VA #757.”
Latifah and Elliott were among 37 other honorees who attended the prestigious National Medals of Arts and National Humanities awards ceremony at the White House hosted by President Joe Biden.
The National Medal of Arts is “the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the federal government,” according to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
“It is awarded by the president of the United States 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.”
“Above all, you are the masters of your craft that have made us a better America with all of you have done,” Biden said at the White House ceremony.
Besides Elliott and Latifah, filmmakers Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee and Ken Burns were among the 20 recipients of National Medals of Arts.
This year’s ceremony recognized artists for 2022 and 2023 due to delays caused by the pandemic.
Elliott made history after reaching another significant milestone when NASA’s Deep Space Network sent her 1997 hit song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) to Venus” into space, making her the first rap artist to have a song sent to space.
Last year, Latifah also became the first female rapper to have her music inducted into the National Recording Registry.
