Congratulations to the most recent inductees for the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class. These include:
- Genesis drummer Phil Collins (now a two time inductee with the mentioned band of Genesis – Class of 2010)
- Punk Rocker Billy Idol
- Heavy Metal band Iron Maiden
- New Wave artist Joy Division/New Order
- Rock band Oasis
- British R&B band Sade
- R&B singer Luther Vandross
- Cuban singer & the “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz
- Nigerian musician Fela Kuti
- Singer-Songwriter Gram Parsons
- Songwriter-Producer Linda Creed
- Music Producer Arif Mardin
- Rolling Stones’ music Producer Jimmy Miller & Television host Ed Sullivan.
The ceremony will be televised later this year.
Hip-Hop was heavily celebrated as well with the Staten Island, New York Rap collective Wu-Tang Clan being selected on their first try. Also, some of the leading ladies of Hip-Hop, Queen Latifah, and MC Lyte made it for the early influence category, along with Def Jam Records producer Rick Rubin.
Hip-Hop celebrated 50 years in 2023 and for nearly two-decades, Hip-Hop artists have been getting the call to Cleveland, Ohio (where the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum is located). Grandmaster Flash & The Furious were the first inductees. Over the years, 15+ entities have been inducted and a lot more nominated. They include:
- DJ Kool Herc
- A Tribe Called Quest
- OutKast
- Salt-n-Pepa
- Eminem
- Jay-Z
- LL Cool J
- The Notorious B.I.G
- Missy Elliot
- 2Pac
- N.W.A.
- Public Enemy
- Beastie Boys
- Run-D.M.C.
The Godmother of Hip-Hop & Sugar Hill Records founder Sylvia Robinson and music producers like Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and singer Mary J. Blige, nicknamed the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, worked with many rappers in the 1990s and beyond.
Well, recently, KISS band member and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Gene Simmons stated many times that he does not believe Hip-Hop deserves a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Does he have a point or is Hip-Hop just getting a bad rap? Get it, bad rap … (insert rim-shot!)
He went on to say, “Led Zeppelin (a world renown Rock Band), would never get inducted to a Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.” Well, he has a point there. Rock is not Hip-Hop, however, Hip-Hop is birthed from Rock & Roll!
Let Me Explain …
A misconception is that Rock music is the same as Rock & Roll, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, Rock comes from the Rock & Roll umbrella, but so does Hip-Hop.
Rock & Roll is the original. In the 1940’s, there was ‘Race Music’, which was also called ‘Sepia Music’ back then. This style was classified under the Harlem Hit Parade or the Jukebox Race Records Charts to describe the new sounds coming from Black musicians like the Ink Spots, Louis Jordan, or Ella Fitzgerald. It was later titled “Rhythm & Blues” (along with the aforementioned charts) in 1949, which the term is still used today, as ‘Race’ and ‘Sepia’ were deemed too offensive even for the times. Side note, ‘Sepia’ was actually the name of an African-American magazine publication from 1946 until 1983.
Rock & Roll is a direct descendant from the evolution of Rhythm & Blues. Hell, it was really
just another name for Rhythm & Blues. Some historians list Ike Turner of Ike & Tina, as
producing the first Rock & Roll record called what else, “Rocket 88,” in 1951. The credit went
to his bandmate Jackie Brenston. Although other records like 1949’s, “Rock Awhile” from Goree
Carter or Wynonie Harris’ “Good Rockin Tonight,” from 1948 are top contenders as well as the first
Rock & Roll records. What do all of the above-mentioned records have in common? They were
created by and for the Black community.
The Original Rock & Roll is Black Music
By the early 1950’s, artist like Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis caught on and were making the hottest songs in the nation. However, the Kings of Rock & Roll were Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Elvis may have taken it to the top, but the bottom is where the roots grow, and that came from the Black artist and musicians. Jackie Wilson of Billy Ward & the Dominos, Clyde McPhatter from the Drifters, and Roy Hamilton, were just a few of the artist that a young Elvis would mimic and imitate. Those guys were the original and true Rock & Rollers of the day. Even Blues, Jazz, and Gospel musicians like Sister Rosetta Tharpe and the Soul Stirrers were getting completely copied by Pat Boone and others. Rock & Roll was considered rebellious music. Parents didn’t want their children listening to it and it was called the “Devils Music” by many. Some early songs like “Sixty-Minute Man” and “Work With Me, Annie” were even banned from the radio for their content …sound familiar.
Fast-forward about a decade later and Rock & Roll has somewhat taken a back-seat to Doo-
Wop (a subgenre of Rhythm & Blues), and also other styles of music were popping up like the
Motown Sound in Detroit, or the British Invasion that came from overseas. Just like Elvis years
before, now the Beatles and Rolling Stones among others came to the United States with a borrowed style. They remade records from the Isley Brothers and the Valentino’s (Bobby Womack and brothers) that were minor hits for them but huge records for the traveling young men. That style eventually morphed into the Rock music that dominated the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and beyond.
Rock music, is different from Rock & Roll. Rock Music came into existence in the mid-1960s,
birthed from the above-mentioned British Invasion. American bands like the Beach Boys and Blues musicians listened to Chess Records artists Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.
Hip-Hop came into existence in the mid 1970’s, birthed from the Funk of James Brown. Disco
beats from Chic and spoken word with artist like The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron, both are far and away removed from the sounds of Fats Domino or Hank Ballard & the Midnighters. Ice Cube may not sound like the original Rock & Roll of the day, but neither does KISS.
Hip-Hop, like Rock & Roll, was originally shunned. The styles of music before that, (Jazz,
Blues, Country, Big Band and Pop Standards crowds of sophisticated music) did not think Rock
& Roll was a real artform. The same was said about Hip-Hop when it began. Both genres were only expected to be a fad for a few years, yet here we are with artist once again being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Your average home in 1961 might feature vinyl records from Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Nat
King Cole, Lawrence Welk, Percy Faith, Dinah Washington, and Connie Francis, instead of Bo
Diddley and Ruth Brown. The youngsters were listening to Rock & Roll and would have to sneak
it in the house … Once again, sound familiar!?!? I remember sneaking and listening to Hip-Hop
as a youngster as well. The older generation was listening to the Jazz and Big Band sounds of
Perry Como and Billy Eckstine. Fast forward 20+ years later and you get the same story with Hip-Hop.
In the 1980s, the older generation was listening to Earth, Wind & Fire and Queen. Jazz is still
in the mainstream with artist like Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock, but their records sound
nothing like they did in 1961 (I’m going to use that year again!).
Hip-Hop was still underground in the 1980s but by coincidence, a Rock band helped Hip-Hop breakthrough into the mainstream for good. In 1979, Sugar Hill Gang hit us with Rapper’s Delight. It was the first Hip-Hop song to enter Billboard Pop Top 100 charts, coming in at number 36. Many years went by before Hip-Hop entered the Top 40 again. Run-DMC connected with Rock band (and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers) Aerosmith to remake one of their hits from the 1970s, “Walk This Way.” It was the first Hip-Hop single of any kind to enter the top five on Billboard Pop Top 100, peaking at number 4. So, in a crazy full circle moment, Rock helped Rap enter the mainstream, just as decades before the rap of its day “Rock & Roll” entered the mainstream, both were controversial entries. The year, 1986.
Oddly enough, 1986 was the inaugural year for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The first list of
inductees was Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Ray Charles, Fats
Domino, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard. As you can see, since its
inception, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has always selected a diverse group of musicians and
they continue to do so today.
So yes, Hip-Hop absolutely deserves a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and I can’t wait to
see the next list of inductees!
