Eddie Trunk Podcast

WENN | Contact Music

The beef between the KISS frontman and rapper was sparked by comments Gene made suggesting hip hop stars shouldn’t be considered for inclusion in the institution.

At N.w.a.’s induction ceremony on Friday (08Apr16) Cube slammed the rocker for his comments, saying rock and roll was a “spirit” rather than a particular musical style or genre.

After being called out, Gene stood by the comments, writing on Twitter, “let me know when Jimi Hendrix gets into the Hip Hop Hall Of Fame,” causing the hip hop star to issue a social media response citing black musicians as the inventors of rock music.

“Who stole the soul? Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Chubby Checkers help invent Rock n Roll. We invent it. Y’all (white rock musicians) reprint it,” he wrote.

Ice Cube, real name O’Shea Jackson, then posted lines from his Hall of Fame induction speech including its conclusion, “Rock & roll is not conforming to the people who came before you, but creating your own path in music and in life. That is rock & roll, and that is us”.

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Luke Morgan Britton | NME

Kiss frontman Gene Simmons has responded to comments made by NWA at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame

The hip-hop group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame on Friday night (April 8) alongside Cheap Trick, Deep Purple, Chicago, Steve Miller and songwriter/producer Bert Berns at a ceremony in at the Barclay’s Centre in Brooklyn, New York.

NWA member MC Ren used the opportunity to hit back at Simmons, who criticised rap as a genre recently.

Simmons had told Rolling Stone: “I am looking forward to the death of rap. I’m looking forward to music coming back to lyrics and melody, instead of just talking. A song, as far as I’m concerned, is by definition lyric and melody… or just melody.”

He added: “Rap will die. Next year, 10 years from now, at some point, and then something else will come along. And all that is good and healthy.”
Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/gene-simmons/92877#If1aQL6ru22kSYtQ.99