N.W.A Among 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees
Legendary rap group N.W.A have been selected to be enshrined into the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The group -- Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, MC Ren, DJ Yella and the late Eazy-E -- will be saluted at the 31st annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 8. The event is being taped for a later broadcast on HBO, probably in May.
N.W.A will be the fifth hip-hop act to be inducted into the Hall of Fame after Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, in that order.
This is good news for rap fans who felt that N.W.A was snubbed last year when they were up for induction but didn’t get the nod. It also doesn’t hurt that Straight Outta Compton, the F. Gary Gray-directed biopic on the group, did tremendously well at the box office this past summer (earning over $200 million in ticket revenue).
We must also mentioned that R&B and soul acts like Janet Jackson, Chaka Khan, the Spinners and Chic, who were also on the nomination ballot, didn’t get the call to join the 2016 class. We are feeling a little salty that Chic hasn’t been inducted yet, it’s long overdue for this influential disco/funk band.
Induction snubs aside, N.W.A member Ice Cube went on Twitter today (Dec. 17) to thank the voters and graciously accept the induction on the group's behalf.
"I want to thank everybody who voted for N.W.A to make it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," he said. "We are extremely excited and we are happy for that."
Congratulations to N.W.A on their 2016 Rock Hall induction. Watch Ice Cube's video below.