Gene Simmons is catching heat after making controversial remarks about hip-hop artists being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, comments many fans and critics are calling dismissive and racially coded. During a recent episode of the Legends N Leaders podcast, the KISS co-founder questioned whether rap artists belong in an institution originally built to honor rock music pioneers.
"I said in print many times that hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nor does opera, [and] symphony orchestras," Gene Simmons said. "How come the New York Philharmonic doesn't get the Rock & Roll [induction]? 'Cuz it's called the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame."
"The fact, for instance, that Iron Maiden is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, when they can sell out stadiums, and Grandmaster Flash is..." Simmons continued. "Ice Cube and I had a back and forth. He's a bright guy and I respect what he's done. It's not my music. I don't come from the ghetto. It doesn't speak my language."
He suggested that rappers being honored under the Rock & Roll banner did not align with what he views as the genre’s core identity, arguing that hip-hop should have its own dedicated space rather than being folded into rock’s legacy institutions.
“Music has labels because it describes an approach," he continued. "By and large, rap, hip-hop is a spoken-word art. You put beats in back of it and somebody comes up with a musical phrase, but it's verbal."
His views align with what he's expressed before. During a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, he mentioned he was "looking forward to the death of rap."
Gene Simmons Interview
"There are some melodies, but by and large it's a verbal thing. It's rhyming and all that. And I know Eminem can [rap quickly]. I wish him more success. But, I really don't give a f**k. It just doesn't speak to me. With the genius of being able to put words and music and arrange it, it's much more complex."
The backlash stemmed less from the debate itself and more from how his critique was framed. Many listeners interpreted the comments as minimizing hip-hop’s cultural impact while ignoring the genre’s deep historical ties to rock’s evolution.
"I want to feel sorry for Gene but those are his words coming out of his mouth," one person commented. "Gene forgot his origins and how he has told millions of fans that he came from nothing as a kid when he discovered rock n roll. Gene has also forgotten this is not 1977 or 1996. He is not the rockstar anymore that fans are seeking."
When asked during the interview if he likes the rap genre at all, he responded, "I don't have the cultural background to appreciate being a gangster. Of course that's not what it's all about, but that's where it comes from. That's the heart and soul of it. It came from the streets."
As discussion continues online, the moment highlights an ongoing generational and genre divide over what “rock and roll” represents today and who gets to define its history moving forward.
