Back in 2019, Missy Elliott received a honorary degree by Berklee College of Music, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Little did Missy know at the time that her speech would come back around in her life.
via: Revolt
On Sunday (May 2), Missy Elliott took to Twitter to share an inspiring story. The Supa Dupa Fly superstar said that while working on some new music she discovered the shy engineer mixing her tracks was actually a student at Berklee College of Music when she delivered the commencement speech in 2019. The multi-platinum recording artist became the first rapper to receive an honorary doctorate from the school.
“I was in the studio a few days ago working & this engineer engineering my music was very quiet but on the last day he said, ‘Hey I was at the graduation when you got your doctorates and I remembered your speech about NOT QUITTING & now look, I’m here mixing your music,’” she tweeted.
The full circle moment began two years ago when Missy gave an emotional speech after receiving an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music.
“I don’t even know how I’m standing here but I thank y’all. I thank God,” she said. “I’m not going to talk y’all ears off but I want y’all to know there will be ups-and-downs, prepare for that but don’t give up. And I know you may hear that all the time but if I had given up a long time ago, I wouldn’t be standing here today. You have come too far to quit…”
“As long as you are breathing, it is never too late,” she continued. “People will tell you, you too old. People will tell you, it’ll never work. Don’t believe that cause I’m standing here today and I’m quite sure these people can say the same thing and you all can say this cause look at you, you have graduated. So, I want to be a walking testimony and I want to see years from now people say ‘I graduated from Berklee School of Music and I remember that Missy Elliott said you have come too far to quit and I never gave up and I don’t want y’all to give up.”
That message clearly resonated with Terance, Missy’s engineer, who also goes by the name of Cool-T. Her speech apparently inspired him back then and now Cool-T works as an engineer and intern manager at Tree Sound Studios in Norcross, GA.
I was in the studio a few days ago working & this engineer engineering my music was very quiet but on the last day he said hey i was at the graduation when you got your doctorates and I remembered your speech about NOT QUITTING & now look I’m here mixing your music??? pic.twitter.com/IXlJysbbA1
— Missy Elliott (@MissyElliott) May 2, 2021
Check out Missy’s 2019 speech at Berklee College of Music below:
We really need a Missy Verzuz to happen, she deserves her flowers.
