Next time you’re in Portsmouth, Virginia, be sure to stroll down Missy Elliott Boulevard.
That’s right, Portsmouth City Council unanimously voted on Tuesday night (Aug. 9) to rename a portion of a street after the iconic rapper, according to local news station WTKR. The name change is particularly special, as Elliott is a native of the southwest Virginian city.
The street, currently named McLean Street, serves the Victory Crossing Shopping Center, Tidewater Community College and the future Portsmouth Rivers Casino.
“I am forever GRATEFUL [prayer emoji] P-TOWN [raised hands emoji] VA #757 LOVE,” the “Get Ur Freak On” star responded to the news on Twitter.
I am forever GRATEFUL🙏🏾 P-TOWN🙌🏾 VA #757 LOVE💜
— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) August 10, 2022
Elliott recently got some love from her fellow rapper Lil Wayne, who named her as his number one best rapper during an appearance on Fox Sports’ What’s Wright? With Nick Wright podcast in May. “For me, it’s always going to be first, Missy Elliott,” he said. “She’s a huge influence of everything I’ve ever done. ”
Elliott responded to Wayne’s mention with a heartfelt tweet. Retweeting a clip from the segment, Elliott wrote, “Whenever @LilTunechi says my name in his interviews, twitter don’t have enough space for me to say my GRATEFULNESS because he is a LEGEND himself who birthed many emcees after him & as a man to acknowledge me as a big influence 4 him I send you love WAYNE.”
She added, “Another reason this warms my heart is because I’ve seen many times @LilTunechi has said my name over & over for years no matter who the interviewers are he has never been hesitant to say me as a female & for that I am forever GRATEFUL.”
