French Montana Applauds Missy Elliott For Being A Visionary
Missy Elliott is set to conclude the summer with a tremendous feat: Tonight at the 2019 MTV VMAs, she’ll become the first female rapper to accept the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
Ahead of Monday night’s ceremony and historic recognition, French Montana sang the pioneering lyricist’s praises for her enduring contributions to hip-hop. Describing Missy as one of the biggest female artists to date — similar to Beyonce — French tells ABC Radio that she’s carved out a unique lane.
“I feel [Missy] opened new doors for a lot of female artists out there, and a lot of female artists that’s gonna come in the game,” the “Unforgettable” rapper said of Missy’s storied career. “And, a lot of people don’t do that.”
Recalling the Virginia native’s groundbreaking video for “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” in which Missy sports what looks like an inflated garbage bag, French says the rapper took “a leap” and dared to be different.
“Nobody’s taking chances out here, everybody knows how to study the blueprint and do the blueprint,” French — who’ll present at tonight’s ceremony — continued. “I feel like she was one of the people that tried new things.”
And, Missy continues to do so. The Vanguard Award extends an impressive run of firsts for the Grammy-winning chart-topper this year. She was the first female rapper to be included into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Boston’s Berklee College of Music, and she delivered her first new music in 15 years: An EP called Iconology.
The 2019 MTV VMAs air tonight at 8 p.m. ET.
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