Missy Elliott receives honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music

BOSTON (FOX 5 DC) - Legendary artist and Virginia native Missy Elliott has added another honor to her name: doctor.

The Grammy Award-winning rapper, dancer, and record producer was recognized on Saturday with an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.

Elliott, Justin Timberlake, and Alex Lacamoire were presented with the degrees during the school's commencement ceremony on May 11.

The school said the artists were being "recognized for their achievements and influences in music, and for their enduring global impact."

Elliott, who was born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1971 to a welder at Portsmouth's naval shipyard, is the first female hip-hop artist to receive an honorary degree from the Berklee College of Music.

Elliott has sold more than 30 million albums during the course of her career.

This story was reported from Washington, D.C.