Gene Simmons has made his position clear about hip-hop acts being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ahead of iconic rock bands.
Inducted into the Rock Hall with KISS in 2014, Simmons came under fire for airing his grievances with rap and hip-hop’s inclusion during last week’s LegendsNLeaders podcast, declaring:
“It’s not my music.” “I don’t come from the ghetto. It doesn’t speak my language. And as I said in print many times, hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nor does opera or symphony orchestras.”
Pointing out that heavy metal rockers Iron Maiden were still not inducted while hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash is, the 76-year old guitarist stated:
“The fact that, for instance, Iron Maiden is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame when they can sell out stadiums, and Grandmaster Flash is…” noting that he has had a “back and forth” with rapper Ice Cube on the topic.
During his Wednesday (2.11) interview with People, Simmons addressed the uproar by insisting that he “stands by” his comment:
“You can agree to disagree and still respect and admire each other. That’s fine.” “I have a sense of humor, and you don’t have to agree with my opinion, but I stand by my words. That’s what I believe.” “One, I admire and respect hip-hop. Two, it is not rock ‘n’ roll. And three, when are Led Zeppelin and AC/DC going to be inducted into the Hip Hop Hall of Fame?”
Responding to the claim that his use of the word “ghetto” was racist, the guitarist insisted that “ghetto is a Jewish term.” “How could you be (racist), when rock is Black music?” he added. “Rock ‘n’ roll owes everything to Black music, statement of fact, period. All the major forms of American music owe their roots to Black music.”
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: V-Spectrum