Tupac enters the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

On December 20, 2016, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the class of 2017: Tupac Shakur enters alongside Pearl Jam, Journey, Yes, the Electric Light Orchestra, and Joan Baez. Chic’s Nile Rodgers receives the Award for Musical Excellence. The ceremony takes place on April 7, 2017, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and an edited broadcast airs later on HBO.

Five groups before him, no solo artist

AllHipHop called Tupac the first solo rapper in the Hall of Fame. Before him, only groups made it: N.W.A, Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five. The Guardian counted him as only the sixth hip-hop act. Rolling Stone noted that Pearl Jam and Tupac are the first inductees whose careers began in the nineties. Hall of Fame CEO Joel Peresman said a class from Joan Baez to Tupac Shakur is “terrific”.

Gene Simmons rejects rap

Critics like Kiss singer Gene Simmons reject rap in the Hall of Fame. How the ceremony went: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Ceremony. An overview of his honors: Awards.