The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame completely defeats its own purpose by nominating and inducting artists who make music that is not recognizable as rock music.
Recently, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees for induction in 2020, including rapper Notorious B.I.G. and R&B singer Whitney Houston.
Although this might be surprising to those who casually observe the music industry, this is not the first time this Hall of Fame has given acclaim to non-rock artists.
Rapper Tupac Shakur is already in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 2017 as the first solo rapper, along with singers such as Janet Jackson, who was inducted in 2018.
Some would say that the longstanding acceptance from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame of artists from other genres makes criticizing this behavior now pointless.
However, it is not too late for the Hall of Fame to stick more closely to its roots and establish new Halls of Fame for other genres to celebrate their own traditions and heroes.
Fans who are passionate about rock music should be able to look to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for established examples of the genre’s brightest stars, not a disjointed melting pot of all genres.
If rap, electronic and pop music had their own Halls of Fame, it could allow fans a more focused list of each genre’s greats and provide inspiration for a new generation.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame should stop inducting non-rock artists, and fans of other genres should establish their own ceremonies and institutions to recognize their own artists.
The heroes of rap should have their own platform to shine, not be degraded to a footnote in the history of rock.
Some might argue that rock ’n’ roll is more of an attitude or impulse than a category, and that any artists that display the genre’s recognizable rebellion and youthful energy deserve to be considered rock music.
That argument would hold water if music was a purely philosophical art form, but people like punk barn-burners and house anthems for their very different sounds.
Inducting artists from other genres muddies the purpose of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and discredits the boundaries of
genre entirely.
Some music fans and musicians love the idea of tearing down genre completely, viewing it as an opportunity to kill off old-fashioned stereotypes and embrace the streaming era.
Jazz artist Christian Scott has made a career out of fusing a jazz approach with unexpected elements like trap beats and rap verses.
Disregarding genre seems to make sense in the age of streaming, where the sheer amount and variety of music readily available seems way too vast to accurately classify through conventional genres.
However, genres and their traditions are essential for navigating music as a listener, especially now that so much music is so easy to access.
Artists should always be encouraged to challenge conventions, but labeling music with a genre makes it much easier for listeners to find and enjoy
that music.
Musicians should feel free to challenge and explore, but giving potential listeners a bass line expectation that can later be subverted is essential to navigate music in the modern age.
Progressive rock bands like King Crimson or Yes incorporated elements from several genres and should not disqualify them as
rock artists.
Genre is never irrelevant and music is never unclassifiable.
The usefulness and flexibility of genre is exactly what makes the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s anti-genre proceedings so frustrating.
Celebrating music that blends genres is essential, but the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s willingness to pass off other distinct styles as rock is just disrespectful.
