Listen Live
Hot 100.9 Featured Video
CLOSE

World Premiere Of 'Ride Along 2'

Kiss singer Gene Simmons made headlines in March for his viewpoints on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gene expressed a dislike for the backroom politics associated with the selection process and believed entry into the prestigious club should be more selective.

“Simmons, who as a member of Kiss’ original outfit was recently inducted into the Hall, detailed his opinion that “if you don’t play guitar and you don’t write your own songs, you don’t belong there.” Downplaying his own induction, Simmons described the honor as “diluted.”

Hip-Hop was also targeted during his rant. Gene felt Hip-Hop artists shouldn’t be allowed in because “they don’t even sing” and said he “looked forward to the death of rap.”

“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!”

Talib Kweli jumped in to defend Hip-Hop’s honor and called out the Rock and Roll artist for his statements. Ice Cube threw his two cents in when he recently responded to Gene’s comments after N.W.A. was inducted.

“I respect Gene Simmons, but I think he’s wrong on this, because Rock ’N’ Roll is not an instrument and it’s not singing,” he says to The New York Times. “Rock ’N’ Roll is a spirit. N.W.A is probably more Rock ’N’ Roll than a lot of the people that he thinks belong there over hip-hop. We had the same spirit as punk rock, the same as the blues.”

N.W.A. was inducted into the Hall of Fame, but will not perform. Cube said he felt the group wasn’t as supported as they could’ve been He neglected to go any further but said the group wanted to do something “on a whole ‘nother level.”

SOURCE: HHDX | PHOTO: Getty

Ice Cube Disagrees With Gene Simmons’ Comments About Rap Music  was originally published on globalgrind.com