TuPac becomes the sixth rapper to be inducted into the prestigious hall of fame greats.
Tupac joins Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra, Elo and Nile and Pearl Jam as inductees this year as classic rock, west coast hip hop, funk, prog, Symphonic Black Country and grunge among other music genres were represented in 2017.
Nile Rodgers is to be awarded for musical excellence, Pearl Jam gets inducted in first year of eligibility, Shakur is sixth Hip hop artist to be honoured and Rodgers’ group, Chic were spurned a record 11th time.
Tupac’s inclusion into the hall has been met by criticisms just like it met the NWA’s entry, with the critics arguing that Hip hop doesn’t belong to the rock and roll hall of fame.
NWA member Ice Cube responded eloquently to this criticism, noting that “Rock’n’roll is a spirit … It’s been going since the blues, jazz, bebop, soul, R&B, rock’n’roll, heavy metal, punk rock and, yes, hip-hop.” The hall agreed with this sentiment enough to post it on their induction page.
And as explained by The Guardian, Tupac’s election was even more worthy than NWA’s owing to his influence over the genre and his worldwide unmatched popularity, maintaining arguably the most passionate following in hip-hop, two decades after his murder in a Las Vegas drive-by shooting.
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The rapper also made socially relevant music that spoke against social injustice and unifying black Americans. His 1994 classic ‘Dear Mama’, for example glorified his mama and black women everywhere, even those caught in desperate circumstances.
Hence, tupac deserves to be named among renowned pop artists like Elvis Presley, Madonna, Bob Dylan and Michael Jackson.
