Missy Elliott Honored with Street Renamed After Her in Virginia Hometown

Missy Elliott is set to be honored in her hometown of Portsmouth, Virginia with a street named Missy Elliott Boulevard.

“I am forever GRATEFUL,” said Elliott on Twitter of the special honor.

The decision was made after the local city council approved a citizen’s request to name a street after the rapper on Aug. 9. Lifelong Elliott fan and Portsmouth resident Erin Carter put in the proposal to rename the street after the four-time Grammy-winning rapper, to not only attract visitors to the growing entertainment district, but also honor the artist.

“It’s time for her hometown to honor her accomplishments as a music icon,” said Carter to a local newspaper. “It will be a testament [of] our city greatness that Portsmouth was the place that launched her career.”

Missy Elliott Boulevard will be located on a one-mile stretch along McLean Street between Airline Boulevard and Greenwood Drive. The street is in an area that is continuing to develop, and within proximity to Woodland Park, Victory Crossing Shopping Center, the future site of the Portsmouth Rivers Casino, and the Portsmouth campus of Tidewater Community College.

Born in 1971, Elliott grew up in Portsmouth and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, which was later renamed Manor High.

In 2019, Elliot made history as the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The iconic rapper was also recently honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021 in addition to entering the inaugural class of the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame.

Local councilman Chris Woodard said that the new location will “lure tourist dollars,” while councilwoman Lisa Lucas-Burke suggested Elliott should get a key to the city.

“Missy Elliott has been a great rapper, actor, artist,” said Woodard, “and she does deserve this recognition.”

Photo: Atlantic Records