The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame boss, Greg Harris, has defended their decision to induct Eminem.
The rapper is among one of eight inductees alongside Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Eurythmics, Carly Simon, Judas Priest and Pat Benatar. Last year, LL Cool J and Jay Z were part of the 2021 class of inductees into music’s most prestigious club.
In a new interview with Audacy, Harris commented on the rapper’s inclusion in the class of 2022 and the position of hip-hop in Rock Hall. “For a lot of years people asked about hip-hop,” he said. “He’s the 10th artist to be sort of categorised that way.”
He continued: “But you listen to his music, it’s as hard-hitting and straight ahead as any metal song. It’s right there. It’s a chest punch with a message and with a power and with a rhythm and with a band. We’re thrilled he’s going in [his] first year of eligibility, it’s a big statement.”
The in-person ceremony will occur at the Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater on November 5th. Initially, Dolly Parton refused to be inducted but was later convinced to accept after being informed it wasn’t solely for rock artists.
“I felt like I would be taking away from someone that maybe deserved it, certainly more than me since I never considered myself a rock artist,” she said. “But obviously, there’s more to it than that.”
