Chuck D Blasts Gene Simmons Over Rock Hall Rap Critique
Chuck D has pushed back after Gene Simmons argued that hip-hop should not be recognised by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, reigniting a familiar debate about what the institution is meant to represent. The Public Enemy frontman responded in a new interview this week, framing Simmons’ stance as a narrow reading of the Hall’s mission and emphasising that the genre labels have never been as fixed as critics suggest.
In remarks captured by TMZ, Chuck D said KISS may have “the rock,” but argued the band has “no roll,” adding that Simmons tends to surface the same argument every few years.
The comments follow Simmons’ appearance on the “LegendsNLeaders” podcast, where the KISS bassist-vocalist complained that “hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” grouping it alongside opera and symphony orchestras while insisting the name of the Hall should determine eligibility. Chuck D countered that Simmons was fixating on the “rock” part and overlooking the “roll,” which he described as the broader musical family that expanded after rock and roll splintered into different styles in the 1960s. He also said Simmons is entitled to his opinion, but stressed the importance of “maintain[ing] the facts and the narrative” rather than trying to change minds.
The latest round of backlash has also focused on Simmons’ remark that hip-hop is “not my music” and that he does not “come from the ghetto,” a line that has drawn criticism online and in music circles, similar to earlier flare-ups covered in Gene Simmons’ past exchange with Ice Cube about rap.
TMZ reported that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame declined to comment on the controversy. With the Hall continuing to induct artists across rock’s evolving branches, the dispute underlines a recurring tension between traditionalist definitions and the reality that rock and roll’s influence has long overlapped with hip-hop, R&B, pop and beyond.
