Courtney Love is using her voice to tell the world all about how she would like to see more female and black artists included into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The woman who has been around since the early 90’s – more notably the late Kurt Cobain of Nirvana’s ex-wife has spoken.
As per Ultimate Guitar, Ms. Courtney Love has spoken up about the lack of diversity among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees after an article shared by journalist Jessica Hopper made tidal waves on the Internet this week.
As reported by NME, Hopper replied to the article titled “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Celebrates Women Who Rock”, saying:
“Do they tho? 719 inductees to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, only 61 are women. That’s 8.48 per cent. C’mon @rockhall, it’s FUCKING GRIM BRO when yr doing worse than women-artists-on-country radio numbers (10 per cent) and women headliners at major music festivals (13 per cent).”
Love added to Hopper’s post, saying:
“[Hopper] DOES THE MATH! 37 years in existence & women make up 8.48 per cent of inductees out of 719.”
The Hole singer further explained her views in a new article on The Guardian adding:
“Big Mama Thornton, whose recording of ‘Ball’n’Chain’ also shaped this new form of music? Still not in. Today, just 8.48% of the inductees are women.”
“Linda Ronstadt released her debut in 1969 and became the first woman to headline stadiums, yet she was inducted alongside Nirvana in 2014. Most egregiously, Tina Turner was inducted as a solo artist three decades after making the grade alongside her abuser, Ike.”
Love went on to also discuss the lack of Black artists among the Hall, saying:
“The Beastie Boys were inducted in 2012 ahead of most of the Black hip-hop artists they learned to rhyme from. A Tribe Called Quest, eligible since 2010 and whose music forged a new frontier for hip-hop, were nominated last year and again this year, a roll of the dice against the white rockers they are forced to compete with on the ballots.”
“If so few Black artists, so few women of colour, are being inducted, then the voting process needs to be overhauled.”
“If the Rock Hall is not willing to look at the ways it is replicating the violence of structural racism and sexism that artists face in the music industry, if it cannot properly honor what visionary women artists have created, innovated, revolutionized and contributed to popular music – well, then let it go to hell in a handbag.”
