Twenty years after his untimely death, Tupac Shakur’s music, life and influence is still respected and potent as ever, so it’s no surprise the beloved rapper along with an impressive class of musicians will be inducted into the 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Tuesday morning (Dec. 20) news of ‘Pac’s induction–along with Nile Rodgers who will receive an award for musical excellence, Pearl Jam, singer-songwriter Joan Baez and others –hit the Internet. Artists are only eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 20 years after their first album is released. The ceremony will take place at Brooklyn’s Barclay Center on April 7th, and an edited version of the event will air later on HBO. Tickets will go on sale in January.
News of Tupac’s induction is sure to merit criticism from KISS frontman Gene Simmons who takes issue with rap and hip-hop artist entering the Hall of Fame. However, not everyone in hip-hop is overly excited about Tupac’s latest honor. Chuck D took to Twitter back in October and said while he had nothing but love and respect for the All Eyez On Me artist, he thinks LL Cool J should receive the honor first.
With the death of Afeni Shakur, there’s no telling who will do the honors of presenting the award.
