Missy Elliott, George Michael to enter Rock Hall of Fame

Music's glitterati will fete a new class of legends entering the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Friday, among them Missy Elliott and the late George Michael.

Rock experimentalist Kate Bush, agitators Rage Against the Machine, country icon Willie Nelson, heartland rocker Sheryl Crow and R&B group The Spinners will round out the 2023 class of inductees.

Chaka Khan, Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin will receive the Hall's musical excellence awards. DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray meanwhile will be inducted as "influences" and the late creator of "Soul Train," Don Cornelius, will receive a non-performer honor.

The Cleveland-based Hall of Fame - which surveyed more than 1,000 musicians, historians and industry members to choose the entrants - will honor the acts in a star-studded gala concert at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.

For some time now the institution has defined "rock" less in terms of genre than of spirit, with a number of rap, pop, R&B and country stars included.

Hall of Fame Chairman John Sykes had previously emphasized that this year's crop of musicians "reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define Rock & Roll" - and also noted it coincides with a milestone year that includes the 50th anniversary of the hip-hop genre and country icon Nelson's 90th birthday.

Elliott will become the first woman in hip-hop to enter the music pantheon. The "Lose Control" and "Get Ur Freak On" rapper made the cut in her first year of eligibility.

Artists can be inducted 25 years after their first commercial music release.

Fellow rap star Queen Latifah will induct Elliott, who called the honor "a blessing" in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" show.

It's particularly poignant given hip-hop's milestone anniversary,...