Cardi B meets Missy Elliott. Leading up to the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, two-time nominee Bardi met one her idols at the Warner Music Group party on Thursday (Jan. 25) at The Grill in New York.
Taking to Instagram with Misdemeanor by her side, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper rejoiced. “I met Missy Elliott,” she sang with a smile. “Bitch, I’m hyped. I don’t give a fuck. So what? We hyped as fuck, ni**a.”
Other guests at the party included Gucci Mane, Janelle Monáe, Lil Pump, Bebe Rexha, and Ciara, who Cardi called the “sweetest person I ever met.”
For Missy, this was just part a big night filled with accolades and tears joy. The rap icon, who is set to appear alongside Busta Rhymes in a Super Bowl commercial, was also honored at the ESSENCE Black Women in Music event, where Rapsody and Leikeli47 performed Misdemeanor tributes.
Janet Jackson also surprised Missy with a special speech celebrating her Visionary Award at the event. She took the stage to speak about the fact that Elliott has gone “toe to toe with the guys” and led the way for others to do the same. “She has cleared the way for new generations young talent,” said Jackson, while Missy looked on in tears. “Her friendship has meant more to me than she could ever know.”
Missy shared a portion the speech on Instagram, where she thanked Jackson for her time and inspiration. “#IMGRATEFUL @janetjackson that u would fly over from the UK while on tour to present me with the #BlackWomenInMusic @essence Award last night,” she wrote. “ course I’M A BIG BABY & i COULD’NT STOP CRYING TEARS HAPPINESS our SISTERSHIP has lasted over 17 years! Your the definition REALNESS/HUMILITY/CARING/INSPIRING/UPLIFTING/FIERCE/BOLD/RISKTAKING/BLACK STRONG& BEAUTIFUL oh & RICHGirl u know I had to throw a joke in but I LOVE you sis for always being there for me from Day 1thank u @essence for the love u showed me I am Humbly Grateful.”
Elliott also shared her gratitude during an interview with The Associated Press. “That was a surprise,” she said. “I’ve known Janet over a decade and this is not just someone I do music with. I can call Janet any time night and she will listen. The times that I may have felt like giving up, she’s always gave me an encouraging word.”
Jackson is one the headliners for this year’s ESSENCE Music Festival. The lineup also features Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Miguel, Xscape, Fantasia, H.E.R., Idris Elba, Daniel Caesar, dvsn, Kelly Price, Ro James, Marsha Ambrosius, MC Lyte, and many more.