The ongoing discussion surrounding genre representation in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has flared up again after Public Enemy co-founder Chuck D responded to controversial remarks from Gene Simmons claiming that hip-hop has no place in the institution.
Speaking recently with TMZ, the influential MC addressed the Kiss bassist’s stance, which reignited the long-running argument over what truly falls under the umbrella of “rock and roll.” Chuck D suggested that Simmons is ignoring the broader meaning of the word “roll” in the Hall’s name — a term he says reflects the inclusion of multiple musical styles.
“Everything else other than rock, when rock ‘n’ roll splintered in the ’60s, is the roll,” Chuck D said. “Soul music, reggae, hip-hop, which is rap music. Hip-hop is a culture, so it embodies sight, sound, story, and style.”
“Simmons seems to say something similar every three years… He’s entitled to his opinion, and he’s dealt in the music for so long that his opinion is probably going to be stuck to him,” Chuck added.
Simmons first made those remarks during a wide-ranging conversation with “Legends N Leaders” podcast host Ben Weiss, in which he challenged the Hall’s selection standards and argued that rock should be recognized as its own distinct art form.
“I don’t care. You just brought up a subject I could give a f**k about,” Simmons. “Well, there’s ‘popular’ and then there are words like ‘relevance’. Who determines relevance? Critics? What is that word? How do you [become] relevant? Who does that? Or is it the American ideal? Of the people, for the people, by the people. The first words are ‘we the people’. That’s relevance to me… The fact that, for instance, Iron Maiden is not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, when they can sell out stadiums, and Grandmaster Flash [one of hip-hop’s original innovators] is.”
Simmons revisited his longstanding argument that rap artists, regardless of their talent, do not fit the definition of “rock and roll.” He recalled a debate he had with rap legend Ice Cube on the subject.
“[Legendary rapper] Ice Cube and I had a back-and-forth [on this subject], and he’s a bright guy and I respect what he’s done,” Simmons noted. “It’s not my music. I don’t come from the ghetto. It doesn’t speak my language. And I said in print many times, hip-hop does not belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, nor does opera, symphony orchestras. How come the New York Philharmonic doesn’t get [inducted into] the Rock And Roll [Hall Of Fame]? ‘Cause it’s called the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. But he shot back and said, No, it’s the spirit of rock and roll.’ Okay, fine. So Ice Cube and Grandmaster Flash and all these guys are in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I just wanna know when Led Zeppelin‘s gonna be in the Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame. ‘Oh, you can’t do that?’ Oh, really?”
He elaborated on why the genre doesn’t resonate with him personally:
“Music has labels because it describes an approach. By and large, rap, hip-hop is a spoken-word art. You put beats in back of it and somebody comes up with a musical phrase, but it’s verbal. There are some melodies, but by and large it’s a verbal thing — it’s rhyming and all that. And I know [rapper] Eminem can [rap really quickly]. I wish him more success. I really don’t give a f**k. It just doesn’t speak to me. With the genius of being able to put words and music and arrange it, it’s much more complex.”
