Missy Elliott honored in her Virginia hometown of Portsmouth, receives key to the city


On Monday, hip-hop star Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott was honored by leaders of her hometown in Virginia with a special dedication ceremony, naming a city street after her.
Elliott was born and raised in Portsmouth, which announced in September that on Oct. 17, a portion of McLean Street would be renamed "Missy Elliott Boulevard" and the Grammy Award–winning rapper would be presented with a key to the city.
In addition to the street name and key to the city, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) also gave a special presentation declaring Oct. 17 as "Missy Elliott Day."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Monday ceremony included a parade at Manor High School, where Elliott was honored with sounds from three HBCU bands — the Norfolk State University Spartan Legion, Hampton University's Marching Force, and Elizabeth City State University's Sound of Class.
The hip-hop star spoke during the dedication, thanking the city for its support and telling local residents to "make sure [they] don't get no misdemeanors on [her] street." During Elliott's career, she was "the first female rapper to be inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has won numerous BET and MTV Video Music Awards, including the Video Vanguard Award," The Virginian Pilot notes. Last year, she was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Several other award-winning artists, including longtime collaborator Timbaland, Trey Songz, and Pusha T — all Virginia natives — attended the event in support of Elliott.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelsee Majette has worked as a social media editor at The Week since 2022. In 2019, she got her start in local television as a digital producer and fill-in weather reporter at NTV News. Kelsee also co-produced a lifestyle talk show while working in Nebraska and later transitioned to 13News Now as a digital content producer.
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia