Gene Simmons of rockers Kiss has spoken out about his frustration with rap and hip-hop artists being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.
The singer/bassist argued that the likes of Run-DMC have no place in the Hall of Fame, believing that all they do is “sample and they talk, not even sing”.
Speaking to Radio.com, the singer said: “You go on with your bad self and get more disco artists… A long time ago it was diluted. It’s really backroom politics, like Boss Tweed. A few people decide what’s in and what’s not. And the masses just scratch their heads. You’ve got Grandmaster Flash in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Run-DMC in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? You’re killing me! That doesn’t mean those aren’t good artists. But they don’t play guitar. They sample and they talk. Not even sing!”
Simmons continued: “If you asked Madonna, ‘What kind of artist are you?’ do you think she would say, ‘Oh, rock!’ So what they hell are they doing in the Hall of Fame? They can run their organisation any way they’d like, but it ain’t rock! It just isn’t! If you don’t play guitar and you don’t write your own songs, you don’t belong there.”
Simmons also spoke about his frustration with the Hall Of Fame’s selection committee for only inducting the original members of Kiss, and ignoring members of the band in its most recent form. In protest of their decision, the band have chosen not to perform at the induction ceremony this April in New York.
Chad Channing, the original drummer for Nirvana, recently claimed he will be inducted alongside the rest of the former members at the same ceremony.