The rapper, whose real name is Melissa Elliott, will be honoured with the prestigious Video Vanguard Award at the MTV VMAs. Her music videos for the past 25 years have created many fans and added a new outlook to music video production. She will also become the first female rapper to win this prize.

Prior to her, famous musicians like Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Kanye West, Pink and Jennifer Lopez have also received this award. Michael Jackson was the inspiration behind the creation of the award. Missy Elliott's fans have been pitching for her to receive this award for a while. In fact, Pop culture website Slate, has lobbied to name the award after her instead of Michael Jackson, who has recently been accused of sexual abuse in the documentary "Leaving Neverland."

Missy Elliot
Missy be putting it down at this year's Bestival Getty

BBC reported that the online editor of "The Voice," Leah Sinclair, has said that "Her presence as a full-figured black woman bursting with creativity was the kind of representation I needed growing up."

"I'm sure many little girls like me looked on in awe to see her style, charisma and talent ooze off the screen. She embraced the weird and the wonderful, which was a rarity among her equally talented but hyper-sexualised peers," Sinclair added.

Elliot dominated the world of music in the late 1990s and the early 2000s. Her humorous lyrics followed by her exceptionally sharp beats were her signature style. She co-produced songs with her long-term collaborator, Timbaland.

She has never failed to stun us with her over-the-top make-up and style. In fact, Samantha Callender wrote in Essence in 2017 that "The fashion and beauty choices within this video were a love letter to classic 90s beauty trends... with a Missy twist." Elliott's 1997 single debut release, "The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)" grabbed the attention of the music industry steadfastly.

In her music video "One Minute Man," we see her disconnecting her head from her shoulders and playing with it. Commenting on this, Billboard's Brian Josephs said: "The Missy-led lobby choreography is crisp, but the video pushes into classic territory when she plops her head and her body starts dancing anyways."

Missy Elliot has always baffled us with the tricks that can be applied in a music video. Her attire and her looks have shunned the body shamers and the traditionalists who have many opinions on how a woman should look. For her young fans of the late 90s and early 2000s, her music videos were an entry pass to a better and a colourful world.