Every year, the Kennedy Center selects a group of important artists for its Kennedy Center Honors. This year, the award will go to pop stars Queen Latifah, Dionne Warwick, and Barry Gibb, alongside soprano singer Renée Fleming and comedy legend Billy Crystal.

Queen Latifah has done a lot of things over the course of her career. She’s been a sitcom actress, a movie star, and a jazz singer. But she got her start as a rapper, and she still uses her rap name. That puts her on a very short list. Unless you want to count the creators of Hamilton or something like that, the only other rapper who’s received Kennedy Center Honors is Latifah’s fellow multi-hyphenate LL Cool J.

In a statement, Latifah says, “When we started on this journey decades ago, we were often told ‘No.’ No, you won’t be able to leave New Jersey. No, if you rap you can’t sing. No, singers can’t become actresses. No, actors can’t also produce. To now be recognized amongst so many multi-hyphenates feels unbelievable, not for just me and my team, but for our community.”

Dionne Warwick seems to be enjoying her national-treasure status. Burt Bacharach, her greatest collaborator, died earlier this year. He won all kinds of awards, but he was never given Kennedy Center Honors. Barry Gibb, the leader and sole surviving member of the Bee Gees, is another pop titan who certainly made a serious cultural impact. It’s nice to see these folks getting their flowers.

Last year’s Kennedy Center honorees included U2, Gladys Knight, and Amy Grant. Their tribute concert featured Eddie Vedder, Patti LaBelle, Garth Brooks, Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, and Borat. Gloria Estefan will host this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, which are happening 12/3 in Washington, DC. The show will air on CBS and stream on Paramout+.