Missy Elliott to Receive Icon Award at Gala of the Stars

Missy Elliott will be honored with the Icon Award at the Gala of the Stars, an annual fundraiser for Dancers Against Cancer, scheduled for October 22 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Janet Jackson, the previous year's recipient, will present the award to Elliott.

This recognition follows Elliott's historic achievements in hip-hop, including being the first female rapper to receive the MTV Video Music Awards’ Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and the first female hip-hop artist inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2023, she became the first female rapper inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Elliott has achieved commercial success with 10 top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and five top 10 albums on the Billboard 200. Other honorees at the gala include Toni Basil, who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Vincent Paterson, who will be presented with the Vanguard Award.

The event will be hosted by television personality and dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy.