The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has undergone several changes in the last few years. While some have been largely seen as positive changes (such as inducting more women), others have faced a bit of criticism – specifically, loosening the idea of what is considered “rock and roll.”
John Sykes, who has been chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2020, recently sat down with Vulture to discuss the organization and the prestigious honor. During the interview, he was asked about the Rock Hall’s decision to have a “more interpretive definition of ‘rock’ music,” and if he understands why some people think the name should be changed to the Music Hall of Fame.
“Yes, and I think it’s because some people don’t understand the meaning of rock and roll,” he replied. “If you go back to the original sound in the ’50s, it was everything. As [2023 inductee] Missy Elliot calls it, it was a gumbo. It just became known as rock and roll. So when I hear people say, ‘You should just change it to the Music Hall of Fame,’ rock and roll has pretty much covered all of that territory. Rather than throwing the name out, it’s doing a better job of communicating to people where rock and roll came from and what it’s truly about. Once they hear it that way, they understand.”
He continued: “The best story to convey this was when a great friend of mine, Jay-Z, got inducted a few years ago. I was so excited. But he told me, ‘Rock is dead. It should be called the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.’ And I said, ‘Well, hip-hop is rock and roll.’ He goes, ‘No, it isn’t.’ And I said, ‘We’ve got to do a better job explaining it. Little Richard, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry — these artists were the cornerstones of rock and roll. If you look at the sounds over the years, those artists ended up influencing hip-hop.’ Jay-Z hemmed and hawed, but he showed up to the ceremony. That made me feel like we had done our job to communicate that rock and roll is open to all.”
