Gene Simmons slams Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for embracing hip-hop

Gene Simmons criticized the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for including hip-hop artists, saying the genre "isn't my music." The 76-year-old KISS co-founder, who was inducted with the band in 2014, made the remarks on the "LegendsNLeaders" podcast after the host said he had gravitated toward more "hip-hop adjacent stuff" in his youth.

Simmons said "hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nor does opera or symphony orchestras," and asked, "How come the New York Philharmonic doesn't get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?" He also complained that Iron Maiden is not in the Hall while hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash has been.

Recounting a past exchange with Ice Cube, Simmons said the rapper "shot back that it’s the ‘spirit’ of rock and roll," and added that he thinks Ice Cube is "a bright guy" and he respects what the rapper has done.

United States, New York

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