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By Tom Withers<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jay-Z\u2019s added another title to a resume that includes rapper, songwriter, Grammy winner, billionaire business mogul, and global icon \u2014 Hall of Famer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The self-proclaimed \u201cgreatest rapper alive\u201d was inducted Saturday night as part of an eclectic 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class that included Foo Fighters, Carole King, Tina Turner, The Go-Gos and Todd Rundgren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once a drug dealer on the tough streets of Brooklyn, New York, Jay-Z rose through the rap world with hard, straight-forward songs that often portrayed the struggles of Black people in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His catalogue includes songs like \u201cHard Knock Life,\u201d \u201c99 Problems\u201d and \u201cEmpire State of Mind\u201d as well as 14 No. 1 albums.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Following a video introduction that included President Barack Obama, LeBron James and David Letterman, Jay-Z was inducted by comedian Dave Chappelle, who praised him for being an inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe rhymed a recipe for survival,\u201d Chappelle said. \u201cHe embodies what the potential of our lives can be and what success can be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul McCartney welcomed Foo Fighters, who have carried the mantle as one of rock\u2019s top arena acts. Initially, the band was little more than a side project for front man Dave Grohl, who was previously inducted as Nirvana\u2019s drummer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McCartney described the parallels between he and Grohl as both were part of massively popular bands who broke up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you think this guy is stalking me?\u201d McCartney joked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Foo Fighters and McCartney closed the show with the Beatles\u2019 \u201cGet Back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rapper LL Cool J was enshrined for musical excellence along with keyboardist Billy Preston and guitarist Randy Rhoads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, singer-poet Gil Scott-Heron and Delta blues legend Charley Patton were inducted as early influencers and Sussex Records founder Clarence Avant received the Ahmet Ertegun Award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cool J recruited some of his heavyweight musical friends to usher him into rock immortality. One of rap\u2019s hip-hops first superstars was joined on stage by Eminem and Jennifer Lopez for a powerful career-spanning performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With New York street style and swagger, Cool J remains a relevant artist more than 40 years after he first spit lyrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat does LL really stand for?\u201d asked rapper\/producer Dr. Dre in his induction speech. \u201cLadies love? Living large? Licking lips? I\u2019m here because I think it stands for living legend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cool J then did a medley of his hits, including \u201cRock The Bells\u201d accompanied by a bearded Eminem before he was joined by J-Lo for \u201cAll I Have.\u201d Cool J wrapped up his blistering set with with one of his biggest hits, \u201cMama Said Knock You Out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Superstar Taylor Swift opened the show with one of King\u2019s best-known songs, \u201cWill You Love Me Tomorrow,\u201d which appeared on \u201cTapestry\u201d her seminal 1971 album \u2014 a soundtrack for a generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Swift gave a moving, heartfelt induction speech for one of her musical idols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t remember a time when I didn\u2019t know Carole King\u2019s music,\u201d Swift said, saying her parents taught her several important lessons as a child with one of the most important being \u201cthat Carole King is the greatest songwriter of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
King thanked Swift \u201cfor carrying the torch forward.\u201d She noted other female singers and songwriters have said they stand on her shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet it not be forgotten,\u201d King said. \u201cThey also stand on the shoulders of the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. May she rest in power, Miss Aretha Franklin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
King then introduced Jennifer Hudson, who performed a stunning, rafter-shaking performance of \u201c(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman\u201d before King sang \u201cYou Got A Friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 81-year-old Turner, who found her greatest success when she left abusive husband Ike Turner, lives in Switzerland and did not attend the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re still giving me awards at 81,\u201d Turner said in a video message. \u201cI must have done something right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keith Urban and H.E.R. performed \u201cIt\u2019s Only Love\u201d a duet Turner did with Bryan Adams before Mickey Guyton took on her most iconic song, \u201cWhat\u2019s Love Got To Do With It.\u201d Then Christina Aguilera belted out \u201cRiver Deep, Mountain High.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Considered the greatest female group in rock history, The Go-Go\u2019s emerged from Los Angeles\u2019 punk scene in the 1980s. The quintet broke rules and smashed gender ceilings in a male-dominated industry with hits like \u201cWe Got The Beat,\u201d \u201cMy Lips Are Sealed\u201d and \u201cHead Over Heels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been in my personal Hall of Fame since I was 6 years old,\u201d said actress Drew Barrymore, who mimicked the cover of the band\u2019s debut album, \u201cBeauty and the Beat,\u201d during her induction speech by wrapping her body and hair in bath towels and applying face cream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow,\u201d she said. \u201cMy childhood fantasy is fulfilled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Best known for soft ballads like \u201cHello It\u2019s Me\u201d and \u201cLove Is The Answer,\u201d Rundgren also had a long path to induction. He\u2019s been outspoken about the hall\u2019s selection process and skipped the ceremony in protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEver defiant,\u201d Patti Smith said in a video presenting Rundgren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year\u2019s ceremony was held for the first time at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the 20,000-seat home of the NBA\u2019s Cleveland Cavaliers and a venue familiar to Jay-Z and Foo Fighters, who have played shows in the arena before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a return to normalcy for the event, which was forced to go virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Artists are not eligible for induction until 25 years after release of their first recording. There are lively debates every year over omissions, and as Public Enemy\u2019s Chuck D noted during a plaque induction ceremony on Friday at the hall, patience is sometimes another requirement for entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt ain\u2019t no overnight thing,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t stumble into this place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was certainly the case for King, who had been eligible for enshrinement as a solo artist since 1986. She went in previously as a songwriter with Gerry Goffin, her late husband, in 1990.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ceremony will be shown on HBO on Nov. 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Originally published at AP<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Tom Withers Jay-Z\u2019s added another title to a resume that includes rapper, songwriter, Grammy winner, billionaire business mogul, and global icon \u2014 Hall of Famer. The self-proclaimed \u201cgreatest rapper alive\u201d was inducted Saturday night…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5817,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[1916,1914,1915],"class_list":["post-5816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment-art-culture","tag-hall-of-fame","tag-jay-z-2","tag-rock-roll"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n