Missy Elliott to be inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame

"I want to CONGRATULATE all the AMAZING songwriters who have been inducted into the 2019 Song Writers Hall of Fame... also those who were nominated because their body of work is AMAZING."

Missy Elliott has been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Songwriters Hall of Fame has named this year's inductees, and the big headline is that Missy Elliott will become the first female rapper to be inducted. She'll only be the third hip-hop artist overall, following Jay-Z and Jermaine Dupri. Announcing this year's inductees, Songwriters Hall chairman Nile Rodgers called Elliott "one of my favorite writers of all time." Эллиотт Elliott is the first female rapper to be inducted. In 2017, Jay-Z became the first rapper to be inducted.В этом году раунд призывников является Залом славы авторов песен впервые после того, как Нил Роджерс стал председателем организации. «Список призывников 2019 года представляет разнообразие и единство между жанрами и полом, подчеркивая нашу преданную миссию в честь создателей музыки, которые обогатили нашу жизнь», - говорится в заявлении Роджерса. A songwriter qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song. Missy Elliott scored a top five hit with ‘Hot Boyz’ in 1999. The Songwriters Hall of Fame described Elliott as “one of the most significant female artists in contemporary music history” and an “across-the-board cultural icon.” The Portsmouth, Virginia-native released her acclaimed debut solo album, Supa Dupa Fly, in 1997 — paving the way for a string of hit singles “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly), “Sock It 2 Me,” “Hit Em Wit Da Hee” and “Beep Me 911.” In 1999, Elliott released her sophomore album, Da Real World, home to her first No. 1 U.S. R&B hit “Hot Boyz (Remix),” according to the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2002, Elliott received her first Grammy award for “Best Rap Performance” for “Get Ur Freak On” — a track from her 2001 album, Miss E…So Addictive. “Work It," the leading single from her fourth studio album, Under Construction, spent 10 weeks at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy award for Best Female Rap Solo Performance. Elliott’s sixth studio album, The Cookbook, was comprised of the Grammy-nominated single “We Run This" and the famous sing-along anthem “Lose Control,” the Songwriters Hall of Fame described.

Trap star Kevin Fret, queer Latin pioneer, dies at 25

Puerto Rican music star Kevin Fret, who called himself the first openly gay Latin trap artist, died of a gunshot wound on Thursday, at age 25. Fret was shot twice while riding his motorcycle in San Juan; the identity and motive of the shooter remain unknown. (New York Times) Fret's death came, coincidentally, just the day before the world's eyes turned to San Juan as Lin-Manuel Miranda opened a limited run of Hamilton, returning to the title role for what he hopes will call attention to both the needs and the attractions of Puerto Rico. (New York Times) Fret prided himself on being a model for fellow queer people from Latin cultures, working in a genre that's often known for macho, heteronormative boasting. In a recent interview, he said, "Young gay guys or young lesbians that are looking at me now like a role model, like wow, if he did it, and he don't care what anybody else has to say, I can do it." Here's his song "Soy Así," in which he sings about being "the reincarnation of Frida Kahlo."