Janet Jackson moves Missy Elliott to tears with emotional surprise tribute at pre-Grammy event
Missy Elliot was aware she would be receiving an award from Essence – but she had no idea the one and only Janet Jackson would be handing her the trophy.
And things got pretty emotional for the close friends.
Janet was one of many stars who turned up to pay tribute to the singer, songwriter, rapper and producer.
‘Some rhyme, some rap; some act, some choreograph; some write hit songs; some create whole new sounds. Some women are able to make her mark in some of these fields; but there’s only one woman who has made her mark in all of these fields,’ Janet told a packed crowd on Thursday night.
‘Not only have you made your mark, but she’s done so with boldness and courage.’
The Get Ur Freak On hitmaker began to cry during Jackson’s tribute.
Wouldn’t you if Janet Jackson bigs you up like that?
The icons shared a long embrace when Elliott went on stage for her Visionary award from Essence at the magazine’s annual pre-Grammy event celebrating black female artists.
‘That was a surprise,’ an overwhelmed and teary Elliott said.
More: Grammys
‘I’ve known Janet over a decade and this is not just … someone I do music with. I can call Janet any time of night and she will listen,’ she said.
‘The times that I may have felt like giving up, she’s always gave me an encouraging word.’
The Essence event is just one of dozens being held around New York City ahead of Sunday’s 60th annual Grammy awards, to be held at Madison Square Garden.
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