Eric B. and Rakim share their reactions to not being inducted into this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The legendary rap duo, named as nominees back in February, shared their congratulations in a joint statement. “Congratulations to the diverse group of artists inducted into the Rock Hall this year,” they said. “Seeing Tribe and Mary on the list besides Cher, Ozzy, Kool and the Gang, and all of the other icons shows how inclusive the institution has become. Keep voting… we’ll join you soon!”
A Tribe Called Quest was nominated in 2022 and 2023 before being inducted in this year’s class. When they missed out last year, Consequence called out the organizers of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on social media. “What we not gon’ do is keep subjugating that name, A Tribe Called Quest, to a white popularity contest, and having them in there as the token n****s pick. We gon’ stop that.”
He continued, “On a political side, what I ain’t really feeling is that now, we gotta explain 0 for 2. The merit of the music, you can’t put a record on that. You can’t put a 0 for 2 on A Tribe Called Quest and what they did for Black music. You can’t do that. I can’t allow you to do that.”
Mary J. Blige was also nominated to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 but didn’t get in.