Dionne Warwick (from left), Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah, Billy Crystal and Renée Fleming will likely be honored by the Kennedy Center for his or her lifetime achievements.

The Kennedy Center

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The Kennedy Center

Dionne Warwick (from left), Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah, Billy Crystal and Renée Fleming will likely be honored by the Kennedy Center for his or her lifetime achievements.

The Kennedy Center

The recipients of the forty sixth Kennedy Center Honors have been introduced.

The award for lifetime inventive achievement will acknowledge actor and comic Billy Crystal; celebrated soprano Renée Fleming; singer-songwriter and Bee Gees band member Barry Gibb; actress, singer and rapper Queen Latifah; and singer Dionne Warwick.

Queen Latifah stated she was past grateful for the popularity. “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,” she stated in an announcement. “To now be recognized amongst so many multi-hyphenates feels unbelievable, not for just me and my team, but for our community.”

Queen Latifah performs on the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition.

Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images

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Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images

Queen Latifah performs on the 2014 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition.

Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images

Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter stated in an announcement that the honorees every “explored new terrain, stretched artistic boundaries, and most importantly, committed to sharing their gifts with the world.”

She added that it was a privilege to honor Queen Latifah — “the First Lady of Hip Hop” — this yr, 50 years since the birth of the uniquely American culture art form.

Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein wrote that Billy Crystal is “responsible for some of the most memorable stand-up moments and hilarious Hollywood scenes in the last half-century,” and Barry Gibb “set the music world on fire in the 60s and defined the modern dance era.” Renée Fleming had a luminous voice and “a knack for bringing opera into the mainstream,” and Dionne Warwick wrote “a trove of hits that has become a soundtrack of inspiration for generations of artists and audiences.”

The awards will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Dec. 3. They will likely be hosted by singer and 2017 honoree Gloria Estefan. This will likely be her third time internet hosting.