The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony honored a class of incredible musicians. Headlining the ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Nov. 8 was OutKast and Salt-N-Pepa.
Donald Glover, who inducted OutKast, lauded them as “two visionaries who turned their differences into a dynasty.”
Andre 3000 “freestyled” his emotional speech as he recalled getting the news of their induction.
Andre said, “When I heard that we were being inducted, I was like, ‘Man, this is great. Because we’ll be able to be in the same company with a lot of people we grew up with. A lot of bands that influenced us.’ A whole lineage of people.”
Although Andre did not perform with Big Boi, Tyler, the Creator, JID, and Killer Mike joined him to perform several OutKast hits. Also, Janelle Monáe performed “Hey Ya” and Doja Cat did a version of “Ms. Jackson.”
Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandra “Pepa” Denton, and DJ Deidra “Spinderella” Roper, of Salt-N-Pepa, accepted the “Musical Influence Award” at the ceremony.
“We had cassette tapes, turntables, and dreams,” James said, “And we are in a fight right now for our masters. After 40 years, as we celebrate this, kids can’t even stream our music. It’s been taken off every streaming platform because the industry still doesn’t want to play fair.”
They went on to perform “Shoop” and “Let’s Talk About Sex.” En Vogue joined them on “What a Man” before going into the classic “Push It.”
Honoring the late Sly Stone was Stevie Wonder, Questlove, Leon Thomas, Maxwell, Beck, and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They performed Sly and the Family Stone hits “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Thank You.” Jennifer Hudson joined them on “Higher.”
Other inductees included Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes in the performer category.
Warren Zevon, Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins, Carol Kaye, and Lenny Waronker were also inducted.