The mindless pusuit of diversity destroys everything. .jpg
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Posted on 02/12/2026 8:32:09 AM PST by Libloather
Gene Simmons is again sticking his tongue out at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for allowing hip-hop artists to snag a spot in rock’s most exclusive club.
The 76-year-old KISS co-founder — who was inducted into the Cleveland shrine for rock with the band in 2014 — appeared on the “LegendsNLeaders” podcast last week, where he flipped the script on host Ben Weiss and asked which band shaped him most growing up.
When the 25-year-old host revealed he gravitated toward more “hip-hop adjacent stuff” in his youth, Simmons blasted the genre and seethed that rap stars have scored spots in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
“It’s not my music,” said the rocker, whose on-stage persona is “The Demon.” “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.
“How come the New York Philharmonic doesn’t get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?” he snarked.
Simmons doubled down, fuming that metal giants Iron Maiden still haven’t snagged a Hall of Fame nod while hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash has been.
“Iron Maiden is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when they can sell out stadiums,” he said.
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“It isn’t music, it’s talking. That’s what it says, rap. Rap means talking. It’s talking in meters. It’s got rhythm,” Garcia said, but noted that he has no problem with the genre as a whole.
This is pretty close to what I said about 20 years ago to a young friend of mine in a conversation we had about HipHop and rap.
Music should improve your mood and enrich the soul. It should not turn you into a anti-social radical.
That a great artist like Garcia said it as well gives me a swelled head.
Ouch, it hurts ;)
Although I do have a problem with the genre as a whole.
The genre is dominated by groups that spew out lyric's that have misogynistic, racist and anti-law themes.
Speaking of genre, splitting artists, consider Ray Charles. He’s in four halls of fame.
Rock ‘n’ roll, country, songwriter and rhythm and blues.
I’ve always said that rap music is hate speech with a jungle beat.
The mindless pusuit of diversity destroys everything.
I’m with Gene on this.
It’s not rock. Period. Why not induct Pavarotti? Or Loretta Lynn?
There is Christian rap/hiphop but it is hard to find and doesn’t git much radio play.
The reasons for doing so:
Upvoting that
👍🏻
Exactly, it's why they started winning grammys in the early 90's and why half the up front seats at the recent garbage grammys were filled with people of color.
You are intentionally ignoring that your so called "ghetto culture music" is making many people very wealthy.
It is not Rock & Roll but you don't need to blast it on a whim. I don't like hip-hop at all, but when I heard "Rapper's Delight" (1979) by Sugarhill Gang, I knew it was a work of art.
It’s popular music and evolves with the times. You can find all sorts of “ghetto” and rural poverty in the origins of what became “Rock” music.
R&R HoF jumped the shark when they let in Madonna. I can live with groundbreaking country artists because there is overlap there, but not dance pop.
Great! That was 47 years ago. And that's exactly my point.
How much new and original "rap" have you enjoyed since then?
50 years next year. Crazy.
70s was incredible music. If you aren’t finding it, you aren’t trying or weren’t alive then.
70s was incredible music. If you aren’t finding it, you aren’t trying or weren’t alive then.
70s was incredible music. If you aren’t finding it, you aren’t trying or weren’t alive then.
70s was incredible music. If you aren’t finding it, you aren’t trying or weren’t alive then.
70s was incredible music. If you aren’t finding it, you aren’t trying or weren’t alive then.
They did induct Dolly Parton. She was as shocked as anyone when she heard she’d been nominated but she had enough self-awareness to put out a rock and roll-ish sounding album after finding out she was nominated. Some good renditions of r&r classics plus at least one original but I still don’t think it qualified as rock n roll.
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