Yesterday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced the nominees for its 2022 induction, and made waves along the way.
Featuring seven first-time nominees including Beck, Eminem, Duran Duran, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon and A Tribe Called Quest, the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee list included 17 nominees altogether, spanning genres and generations.
However, following the news that both Eminem and A Tribe Called Quest, two hip-hop icons, were nominated for induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, rap fans were left wondering: where was the Wu-Tang Clan? And more specifically, why was Eminem nominated before the Wu-Tang Clan?
In a fiery tweet that has been liked nearly 2,000 times, Twitter user @Phace_973 was blunt in expressing their displeasure with the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee list, tweeting that, "THE ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME SELECTING EMINEM BEFORE WU-TANG IS DISGUSTING."
Responding to another Twitter user's defense of Eminem, @Phace_973 explained that, despite the "Stan" rapper's massive success in hip-hop, the Wu-Tang Clan changed hip-hop.
"There's no hate here for [Eminem]," the Twitter user assured. "Having more money doesn't equate to accomplishments, it just means u sold more, Wu-Tang infected culture, religion and the world on a grander scale."
Two years ago, de-facto Wu-Tang Clan leader RZA told Rolling Stone that he wants the legendary hip-hop group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and likened its music to the rock music of the 60s and 70s.
"I think we should [get in], and I do care," RZA told Rolling Stone. "I think it's good for us and I think it's good for rock & roll, because hip-hop is a form of music that grabs from every genre, but definitely grabs from rock & roll."
"Rock & roll has a certain spirit; it was the spirit of the Sixties and Seventies," he added. "Hip-hop is the Eighties, Nineties, up to now, the youth... Lyrical, stories, music, unorthodox, dissonant sometimes, energetic, all the things that rock is and was, hip-hop embodies."
After a 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony that saw a pair of hip-hop icons, LL Cool J and Jay-Z, enter into the prestigious ranks among music's biggest and most enduring names, signs pointed to Eminem's nomination in 2022.
Still, fans expressed their disappointment that hip-hop pioneers, like Rakim, Ice T, De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Outkast and the Wu-Tang Clan, have yet to receive nominations.
Like @Phace_973, Twitter user @Riknight36 showed support for Eminem, but was in disbelief that he was nominated before the Wu-Tang Clan.
"I'm a fan of Eminem, but there is no way in the world that he should get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before the Wu-Tang Clan," @Riknight36 tweeted. "No way in the world."
In a press release, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced that its 2022 inductees will be announced in May. This year's induction ceremony is scheduled to take place sometime this fall, and the date and venue will be announced later this year, per the press release.
Along with the first-time nominees, Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, DEVO, Eurythmics, Judas Priest, Fela Kuti, MC5, New York Dolls, Rage Against The Machine and Dionne Warwick are all up for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The five artists with the most votes from industry insiders and fans will ultimately make it into the hall.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Taylor McCloud is a Newsweek staff writer based in California. His focus is reporting on trending and viral topics. Taylor ... Read more
