KISS rock band star and bassist, Gene Simmons called out the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for inducting hip-hop acts ahead of rock bands like Iron Maiden.
Iron Maiden, of course, are firmly against ever being honoured by the Rock Hall with Bruce Dickinson stating in 2018: “I’m really happy we’re not there and I would never want to be there. If we’re ever inducted, I will refuse — they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there.”
“Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland. It’s a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it’s dead. It’s worse than horrible, it’s vulgar,” Bruce added.
Despite Iron Maiden’s outspoken loathing of the US institution, numerous artists have questioned their omission including Alice Cooper, Tom Morello and now Gene Simmons.
Questioning hip-hop’s inclusion in the Rock Hall, Gene said: “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, right?”
“Ice Cube and I had a back and forth about this. He’s a bright guy and I respect what he’s done. It’s not my music. I don’t come from the ghetto. It doesn’t speak my language,” he added.
The Detroit Rock City hitmaker continued on the LegendsNLeaders podcast: “I said in print many times: Hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Nor does opera, symphonies, orchestras. How come the New York Philharmonic doesn’t get in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? Because it’s called the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!”
“But (Ice Cube) shot back and said, ‘No, it’s the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll.’ Okay, fine. So, Ice Cube and Grandmaster Flash and all these guys are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I just want to know when Led Zeppelin is going to be in the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. ‘Oh, you can’t do that.’ Oh, really? Music has labels because it describes an approach. Hip-hop and rap is a spoken word art. There are some melodies but, by and large, it’s a verbal thing,” Gene explained with frustration.
“It just doesn’t speak to me,” he concluded. “The genius of being able to put music and words and arrange it is much more complex.”
It is pertinent to mention that KISS were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Meanwhile Iron Maiden have been nominated twice in the past five years but have failed to get in both times, with it being safe to assume that it would be much relief for the band.
