Chaka Khan, Missy Elliott inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The Spinners, DJ Kool Herc and Don Cornelius are also part of the Class of 2023.

May 3, 2023

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its new inductees on Wednesday. Chaka Khan and Missy Elliott are part of the Class of 2023.

The Spinners, DJ Kool Herc and Don Cornelius are also among this year’s 13 inductees. Elliott, The Spinners, Rage Against the Machine, George Michael, Sheryl Crow, Kate Bush and Willie Nelson are honored in the Performer Category,

The honor represents several firsts for Elliott: first female rapper inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, first time on the ballot, and considered in her first year of eligibility. In addition to the rock hall milestones, the Virginia native is the first female rapper to release six platinum-certified albums, thanks to hit singles like “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” “Get Your Freak On” and “Work It.”

Missy Elliott speaks during her Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony on Nov. 8, 202 at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)

The Spinners are among the most prolific hitmakers of the 1970s. The quintet had 19 Top 10 Billboard R&B singles, including “I’ll Be Around,” “Mighty Love – Pt. 1” and “Could it Be I’m Falling in Love.”

Khan, musician and songwriter Al Kooper and longtime Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin will get the Musical Excellence Award. Khan, who first achieved fame as the frontwoman of the funk outfit Rufus, gets in as a solo artist. Her classic hits include “I’m Every Woman,” “I Feel For You” and “Through the Fire.”

Recipients of the Musical Influence Award are Herc and singer-songwriter Link Wray. Herc is a legendary DJ who is credited with launching hip-hop’s birth 50 years ago.

Cornelius is to posthumously receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers. His music and dance show, “Soul Train,” was one of the longest-running syndicated television shows ever, exposing Black music and culture to America for decades.