Missy Elliott Joins Elite Company as First-Year Inductee Into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Photo Courtesy Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 

Missy Elliott, the trailblazing songwriter and producer crucial in crafting the Virginia Beach sound, along with Pharrell Williams and Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley, that dominated airwaves in the late 1990s and 2000s, is at the head of this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class.

Elliott was one of seven musicians announced Wednesday to have been voted into the hall during a one-hour special that was streamed on Apple Music 1, along with Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, Rage Against the Machine, Sheryl Crow, George Michael and the Spinners.

While freshly-minted nonagenarian Nelson might have the biggest name recognition, the two-time Grammy Award winner — who was also the first woman rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame — accomplished something the country music legend could not by being the only artist in this crop to be inducted in her first year of eligibility, 25 years after her first commercial recording.

These seven performers were voted in via general balloting, while six more inductees were selected by a select Hall of Fame committee, including Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, Bernie Taupin, Link Wray, DJ Kool Herc, and Don Cornelius.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's chairman, John Sykes, stated that "we're on the road to recognizing all the artists of all genders and races that have impacted rock 'n' roll." With these inductees, the Hall of Fame is continuing its mission to honor artists who have made significant contributions to the world of music.

The 13 honorees will be celebrated in an induction ceremony and concert on November 3, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.