Simmons: “Hip-hop doesn’t belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame”

Gene Simmons returns to attack the presence of rap and hip-hop artists in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In a podcast interview LegendsNLeaders, the Kiss member reiterated a position he has supported for years: in his opinion, hip-hop should not be part of the institution dedicated to rock. Simmons cited the absence of Iron Maiden as an example, compared to the inclusion of hip-hop pioneers like Grandmaster Flash. “Hip-hop doesn’t belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Neither opera, nor symphonies, nor orchestras. It’s called the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame“, he declared. While recognizing the value of figures such as Ice Cube, with whom he had discussions on the topic, Simmons underlined that it is a language that does not belong to him: “It’s not my music. He doesn’t speak my language.”

The musician distinguishes between different musical approaches, arguing that rap is predominantly a spoken art and that genre labels serve precisely to identify specific styles and traditions. Hence the provocation: if hip-hop enters the Rock Hall in the name of the “spirit of rock”, then why – asks Simmons – should bands like Led Zeppelin not enter a hypothetical Hip-Hop Hall of Fame? The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame had no immediate comment on the statements. Kiss was inducted into the institution in 2014; two years later it was Ice Cube’s NWA turn. Hip-hop artists already admitted also include Eminem and Jay-Z. The debate is not new and reflects a broader issue: the very definition of “rock”. Ice Cube, in the past, argued that rock’n’roll is not a genre but a spiritan innovative tension that crosses blues, jazz, soul, punk and even hip-hop. A vision opposite to that of Simmons, who continues to defend a concept more closely linked to the sound and tradition of classic rock. Once again, the Rock Hall becomes a symbolic battleground on what rock represents today and on who is entitled to be part of it.