The American rapper and singer-songwriter shared that she entered the music industry and aimed to be successful in it so that she could get her mother out of an unfortunate situation and make sure she did not have to work again.
A fan tagged Missy Elliot on Twitter Sunday, asking what inspired the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee, driving her to "remain persistent" and on the top in a tough industry dominated by males.
"I seen many strong women in the industry be4 me that made it through & my mom was in a abusive relationship so I told her I would make it so I could get her out of that situation & I would make sure she'd never have to work again that's what really kept me going," the 51-year-old Grammy Award winner tweeted back.
Grateful To Be an Inspiration
Elliot's tweet got a lot of likes, retweets, and comments from fans and followers. Most are calling her "Queen," "Icon," and a "Blessing," not only to her mom but to all the women who get to be inspired by her.
One fan described her as "phenomenal in every meaning of the word."
Fellow co-singer and songwriter Lea Devaney also applauded the record producer, declaring that she is taking the principle of her liking Elliot's music in the past as her current source of wisdom.
Slim, the fan, who asked the question on Twitter, responded to the rapper's tweet, stating, "Thank you for being an example for the next generation. I'm so inspired by your drive, creativity and passion! We appreciate you!"
Surely all these compliments made Elliot's heart flutter as she once said in an interview last February that she just really wants to be an inspiration, "even if it's to one person, I'm humbly grateful for that."
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Her Family Keeps Her Grounded
When E! News asked the Super Bowl Ad staple about her feelings toward being able to bring a huge impact on the industry, she answered that she still gets to pinch herself most of the time amid all the great emotions she feels.
She stressed, nevertheless, how she loves that despite the fame, the awards, and the achievements, her family does not treat her as "Missy the superstar."
"When I go home to my family, they're like, 'Look, if you eat off one of these dishes, you go in and you wash those dishes!' They still call me Pumpkin. They still treat me like I'm Pumpkin."
But it was not a smooth, clear path for Elliot when she entered the music industry. Before she received mainstream success, including MTV Music Award and Grammy wins, the rapper struggled, knowing that her kind of music did not fit in, People reported.
In an interview with Doja Cat in 2020, she admitted that she could not find a "lane" for the songs and music that they did. Yet, she just really took the risk, finding strength from the deep desire and promise she had for her mother.
And truly, hard work pays off. The music industry found a spot for her music, not because of anything else but because she created that spot and made it a palace of opportunities for rappers like her.
"Sometimes you gotta take a chance. I never felt like I fit in, period. I don't think there was a lane for the music that we did. The only reason they found a lane is because I was rapping over the tracks," Elliot recalled.
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