Eric B. and Rakim. Your favorite hip-hop artist’s favorite hip-hop artists. Also, your favorite hip-hop artist’s favorite hip-hop artist’s favorite hip-hop artists.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s vexed and parsimonious relationship with hip-hop is, by now, well established. RUN-DMC and Grandmaster Flash are in the Hall, which suggests that the committee recognizes hip-hop as a musical form that falls under the museum’s jurisdiction. But given an opportunity to nominate some of the style’s most influential early practitioners (Treacherous three, Ice-T, Afrika Bambaataa, Doug E. Fresh), the Hall has demurred. LL cool J was on the ballot last year; this year, for some reason, he’s dropped off. yet the committee is comfortable nominating the Beastie Boys, whose influence over the development of hip-hop as we currently know it is arguable.
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