The Kennedy Center announced its 2023 honorees for its lifetime artistic achievement award Thursday.
Among the five total recipients is actress Queen Latifah, 53, who is also the first female rapper to receive the award. LL Cool J was the first rapper ever to receive the award in 2017. Latifah has won one Golden Globe for her performance in Life Support and a Grammy for her solo performance as a rapper. She was nominated for an Oscar when she was cast in the musical film Chicago, named after her hometown.
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Fellow nominee actor Billy Crystal, 75, has previously won five Emmys along with Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy in 2007.
Remaining nominees include opera singer Renee Fleming, musician Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, and songwriter Dionne Warwick.
"The Honors have been compared to a knighthood in Britain, or the French Legion of Honor — the quintessential reward for a lifetime’s endeavor," the Kennedy Center's website reads. "The annual Honors gala is an evening without categories, without disappointments, without competition."
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Last year's honorees included actor George Clooney, singers Amy Grant and Gladys Knight, composer Tania Leon, and the band U2.
This year's ceremony, the 46th in its history after a hiatus in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, is slated for Dec 3. Guest performances have a tradition of remaining secret until the show is in progress.