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RAPPERS NWA have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York.
NWA was just the fifth hip-hop act to be voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after being nominated three times previously.
Founding member Ice Cube said the quintet had earned their place, just as the pioneers of jazz, blues, punk, rock and pop before them.
“Rock and roll is not conforming to the people who came before you, but creating your own path in music and in life,” he said.
“We have come a long way from being so hated in the industry to making it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Are we rock and roll? You’re damn right we’re rock and roll.”
Cube’s comments came amid criticism from some rock acts, including Kiss frontman Gene Simmons, about including rap artists in the rock hall.
NWA’s rise to fame was charted in the 2015 film “Straight Outta Compton,” named after one of their best-known songs.
The group caused controversy for their often inflammatory songs that reflected the violence, crime and anti-police sentiments of their Los Angeles neighborhood and went on to sell more than 100 million records.
They were inducted at the ceremony on Friday night by rapper Kendrick Lamar, who said the group had “proved to every kid in the ghetto that you could be successful and still have your voice while doing it.”
Artists are eligible for inclusion into the rock hall 25 years after the release of their first recording.
Among the other acts inducted were Cheap Trick, Chicago and British band Deep Purple.
Singer Steve Miller was also inducted, but after he performed a medley of hits including “The Joker” with his band, he criticized the rock hall backstage, calling the ceremony a “lazy” night with “a bunch of fat cats.”
“I don’t know why I was nominated for this,” the 72-year-old musician said in an interview. “I said this for 30 years — I don’t get along with the people running it.
“It wasn’t very overwhelming. It’s not a real pleasant experience to tell you the truth.”
(SD-Agencies)
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