The mayor of Virginia Beach will soon honor hometown hip-hop heroes Missy Elliot, Timbaland, and The Neptunes, who together were nominated for 14 Grammy Awards this year, with Elliot and The Neptunes each winning just once.Mayor Meyera E. Oberndorf explained that the ceremony would reflect the Virginia natives and rap music’s growing influence on the Grammy Awards.”It will be Recording Arts and Sciences Day in honor of these extremely gifted young people,” the mayor told the Los Angeles Times.Just last month, Roc-A-Fella Records CEO Damon Dash was honored in nearby Richmond as a part of the Freedom Classic Festival.Though Elliot, Timbaland, and The Neptunes celebrated their Grammy nominations and awards last night, they will surely return to work quickly, as they all
have a series of projects lined up for the spring.Elliot will team with Alicia Keys and Beyonce’ this fall for a star-studded
tour beginning March 12 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.Meanwhile, frequent Missy collaborator Timbaland has been working with Brandy and LL Cool J.Reports suggest the producer will be handling the majority of
production on both albums.Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, winners of The Producer of the Year, Non-Classical award last night, will continue to be sought after by recording artists as well.The duo are slated to contribute to upcoming albums by Usher, Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, Foxy Brown, and 213 featuring Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Nate Dogg.In addition, Williams and Hugo will oversee new
releases by the Clipse and Fam-Lay, both signed to their fledging Star Track label.The date has been set yet for the honoring ceremony.
