2016 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

[NSL]

Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple, Steve Miller, and...N.W.A.?

I'm all for the first 4 inductees. They all had great careers, timeless songs, and will make for a great ceremony. I'm not so sure about the N.W.A. I am a fan of their work, together and as individuals, but...this is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There were other much more deserving nominees within the genre.

I know almost all Halls have become jokes, but this is slightly ridiculous.

Thoughts?

 

[Alex]

I've said it before I'll say it again if it was called the Music Hall Of Fame people would havel less of a problem with the pop and rap acts in there but Rock N Roll sounds better.

As to the actual nominees it's about damn time Deep Purple got in. I mean they should have been one of the first bands to get in. Same with Cheap Trick and Seve Miller (only know about one Chicago song but still)

When it comes to N.W.A they are one of the most influencial rap acts after Run DMC and Public Enemy (who are already in) and lets not forget bands like that helped start Nu-Metal with the cross over of rock and rap (whether you like it or not) So as influencial musicians N.W.A are more than deserving.

 

[J.J.]

The biopic really helped people understand the importance of NWA. I was damn near a teenager when Straight Outta Compton came out and was a fan of the less than stellar *****z4life or Efil4zaggin. They put west coast Hip-Hop on the map, commercialized Gangsta Rap and were among the first to test G-Funk. NWA had a lot of caucasion fan support because honestly I couldn't afford their tickets back then. Glad they finally got in never thought I would see that happen....ever. What a great way for Eazy E to be honored posthumously.

Loved anything that came out on Ruthless or Cold Chillin' back then.

 

[NSL]

When it comes to N.W.A they are one of the most influencial rap acts after Run DMC and Public Enemy (who are already in) and lets not forget bands like that helped start Nu-Metal with the cross over of rock and rap (whether you like it or not) So as influencial musicians N.W.A are more than deserving.

I've never doubted them as an inspiration, or as trailblazers. They are certainly one of the most influential groups ever. But, this was built and founded as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and it should stay as such. There are other ways to honor them, without forcing a square peg into a round hole.

 

[One Punch Doug Crashin]

That's just it. This isn't a music hall of fame. It's a ROCK AND ROLL Hall of Fame.... Sure they're an inspirational group in HIP-HOP but they are NOT an influential group for ROCK. The hall is becoming more of a joke than they are a legit hall of fame.

Edit: You basically just said what I was gonna say NSL.

 

[J.J.]

The general makeup of the hall of fame has always been other genres. It has never just been strictly R&R. Just take a look at the first few years for example.

Sam Cooke - Soul/R&B
Ray Charles - Soul/R&B/Jazz
James Brown - Gospel/Soul/Funk
Aretha Franklin - Gospel/Soul
Marvin Gaye - Soul/R&B
Smokey Robison - Soul/R&B
Muddy Waters - Blues
The Drifters - Soul/R&B
The Supremes - Soul/R&B
Otis Redding - Soul/R&B

Muddy Waters prominence before Rock & Roll really existed. The point is, it has always featured other genres. James Brown for example, while he had a live band backing him was a major force in Soul music; Ray Charles pioneered it. So it's juvenile to say it's just for Rock & Roll when it never has been portrayed that way with it's inductees since day 1.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Holy Semantics. It is called the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame because it sounds sexier than the Music Hall of Fame. That's it. As J.J. has pointed out, they have been inducting non Rock & Roll performers since the very beginning.

 

[NSL]

As J.J. has pointed out, they have been inducting non Rock & Roll performers since the very beginning.

Looking at the inductees, up to 1997, there is no inducted as a performer, that was not classified as rock and roll while they were actively creating music. And that's just the first 10 years of inductees. I could go for a few more years, and I now there's a few that pop up, and I'd say that don't belong either.

 

[The Butcher]

One thing everybody here can agree upon is that nobody here matters in deciding what rock and roll is, who is hall of fame worthy, and, most importantly for this topic, who is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame worthy.

Rappers are already in. Precedent set. Complaining now seems not only ignorant but woefully behind. It's like complaining about Obama not doing enough to address the threat posed by the Soviet Union.

The more interesting issue at hand is who cares? Anybody who was willing to visit Cleveland to go to a music museum in the first place shouldn't be deterred by anything short of a terrorist threat, and unless your favorite group got left out at the expense of N.W.A., N.W.A.'s induction isn't your concern. This is silly.

 

[NSL]

Rappers are already in. Precedent set. Complaining now seems not only ignorant but woefully behind. It's like complaining about Obama not doing enough to address the threat posed by the Soviet Union.

Ignorant, how? Did I said they shouldn't be in, because they're black? I said they shouldn't be in because they're rappers, and it's a rock and roll museum. I love N.W.A., and own their music, as well as stuff from the individual members. But the fact remains that they are not a rock act, and shouldn't be there.

There is a Hip Hop Hall Of Fame in the works, and they belong there.

 

[The Butcher]

Ignorant, how? Did I said they shouldn't be in, because they're black? I said they shouldn't be in because they're rappers, and it's a rock and roll museum. I love N.W.A., and own their music, as well as stuff from the individual members. But the fact remains that they are not a rock act, and shouldn't be there.

There is a Hip Hop Hall Of Fame in the works, and they belong there.

Ignorant of the fact that rappers are already in the Hall of Fame. Chill out and stop making yourself look stupid.

 

[NSL]

Ignorant of the fact that rappers are already in the Hall of Fame. Chill out and stop making yourself look stupid.

Looking at the inductees, up to 1997, there is no inducted as a performer, that was not classified as rock and roll while they were actively creating music. And that's just the first 10 years of inductees. I could go for a few more years, and I now there's a few that pop up, and I'd say that don't belong either.

Clearly, I am not ignorant to the fact they are already there. I know they're there. And still, I say they do not belong. When you name it the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, you're making a statement as to what you will be honoring inside. I do not see how the N.W.A. fits.

Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Rush...These are rock bands. They belong. Chicago, Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, Steve Miller...They belong. The N.W.A. being there is a square peg in a round hole. Public Enemy? Run DMC? They had crossover success, and appeal, and belong there, but I would still disagree that they should be there as performers.

 

[J.J.]

It could be argued that there's a place for acts that, while not Rock themselves, have had a significant influence on rock (in its broad sense). Certainly this could get some more blues artists in, and if your definition of rock is broad enough to include rock/rap crossovers or nu metal, then Rap pioneers could be argued to have an influence.(ie RATM)

 

[NSL]

It could be argued that there's a place for acts that, while not Rock themselves, have had a significant influence on rock (in its broad sense). Certainly this could get some more blues artists in, and if your definition of rock is broad enough to include rock/rap crossovers or nu metal, then Rap pioneers could be argued to have an influence.(ie RATM)

There is a section for "Early Influence", and if they (N.W.A.) were inducted in there, I wouldn't have a problem at all. But they are being inducted as performers. Blues is the mother of rock and roll music (Black Sabbath identified themselves as a blues band), and they clearly belong. Rock/rap crossovers most certainly belong, because they are, at least in part, rock acts. Rage Against The Machine definitely deserves a place in there.

 

[JGlass]

And now for a fresh perspective, here's JGlass.

Rock and roll has always been more about the attitude than the particulars about what instruments are being used or how the words are being sung. Rock and roll is an umbrella that encompasses many different sub-genres, and many of these sub-genres have little in common. Take a band like The Sex Pistols and put their music up against, say, The Talking Heads. The sounds of these two bands are so radically different that it's almost unfathomable to say that they are in the same genre. And yet, here we are, both bands are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

One of these bands is from England, the other Rhode Island. One played music created by a bunch of working class teenagers, the other by art school students. One band played with anger and energy, the other played with calm anxiety. And yet, they are both considered rock and roll.

The one thing they had in common above all else was that their music served as an escape for those rebelling against something in their lives. The Sex Pistols gave a big fuck you to the establishment that seemed content to maintain the shitty status quo their whole lives. Talking Heads rebelled against rock and roll itself, taking a music that was driven by emotion and removing that, changing it into an avant-garde art form.

By these guidelines, NWA absolutely deserves to be in the rock and roll Hall of Fame, as do several of their contemporaries (namely Tupac and Biggie). These are men that not only rebelled against authority, the establishment, and racism, but also against the music industry itself. Making no attempt to appease the major studios or radio stations, they made music that spoke to huge populations, many of whom felt like they had no voice until gangster rap took off.

NWA absolutely encompasses the spirit of rock and roll and will be an excellent addition to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

 

[NSL]

And now for a fresh perspective, here's JGlass.

Rock and roll has always been more about the attitude than the particulars about what instruments are being used or how the words are being sung. Rock and roll is an umbrella that encompasses many different sub-genres, and many of these sub-genres have little in common. Take a band like The Sex Pistols and put their music up against, say, The Talking Heads. The sounds of these two bands are so radically different that it's almost unfathomable to say that they are in the same genre. And yet, here we are, both bands are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

One of these bands is from England, the other Rhode Island. One played music created by a bunch of working class teenagers, the other by art school students. One band played with anger and energy, the other played with calm anxiety. And yet, they are both considered rock and roll.

The one thing they had in common above all else was that their music served as an escape for those rebelling against something in their lives. The Sex Pistols gave a big fuck you to the establishment that seemed content to maintain the shitty status quo their whole lives. Talking Heads rebelled against rock and roll itself, taking a music that was driven by emotion and removing that, changing it into an avant-garde art form.

By these guidelines, NWA absolutely deserves to be in the rock and roll Hall of Fame, as do several of their contemporaries (namely Tupac and Biggie). These are men that not only rebelled against authority, the establishment, and racism, but also against the music industry itself. Making no attempt to appease the major studios or radio stations, they made music that spoke to huge populations, many of whom felt like they had no voice until gangster rap took off.

NWA absolutely encompasses the spirit of rock and roll and will be an excellent addition to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

I still disagree, but you at least made a valid argument that wasn't "They're great and deserve to be in". I even agree with your perspective, and admit they embrace the spirit. But I just can't justify, to myself, putting them in, when their actual product does not fit into the genre under any definition.

I had said before, that if they were being inducted as "Early Influence", or as ambassadors, I'd be much more accepting of this. But, as performers, I fail to see how they fit.

 

[JGlass]

I still disagree, but you at least made a valid argument that wasn't "They're great and deserve to be in". I even agree with your perspective, and admit they embrace the spirit. But I just can't justify, to myself, putting them in, when their actual product does not fit into the genre under any definition.

I had said before, that if they were being inducted as "Early Influence", or as ambassadors, I'd be much more accepting of this. But, as performers, I fail to see how they fit.

Because the genre isn't about the sound of the music but the spirit of it. Rock and roll deals I'm rebellion before it deals in musical notes, and NWA is possibly the most rebellious band of the late 80s/early 90s.

If rap or hip hop was classified as a subgenre of rock the same way Punk or New wave are, there would be no objection to NWA being in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And quite frankly, I think there's a valid argument to be made for hip hop being a sub genre of rock (or at least a product of it) given that rock is a very inclusive genre in and of itself.

 

[BringThePain834]

Deep Purple and Cheap Trick going in?

It's about time.