Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, and Rage Against the Machine Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023
Kate Bush, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, and Rage Against the Machine are all getting inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2023. The other performer inductees are Willie Nelson, George Michael, and the Spinners.
Hip-hop legend DJ Kool Herc and guitarist Link Wray will receive the Musical Influence Award, and Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, and Elton John’s songwriter Bernie Taupin are receiving the Musical Excellence Award. In addition, Don Cornelius, the late creator of Soul Train, will get the Ahmet Ertegun Award. The 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony happens on Friday, November 3, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
“This year’s incredible group of inductees reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define rock’n’roll,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a press statement. “We are honored that this November’s induction ceremony in New York will coincide with two milestones in music culture; the 90th birthday of Willie Nelson and the 50th Anniversary of the birth of hip-hop.”
Sheryl Crow, George Michael, Missy Elliott, and Willie Nelson are making the Rock Hall after their first nominations. Kate Bush is being inducted on her fourth nomination, Rage Against the Machine get the nod on their fifth try, and the Spinners were also inducted after four nominations.
DJ Kool Herc, who co-hosted the 1973 party identified as the place of hip-hop’s public liftoff, is recognized as the genre celebrates its 50th anniversary. The North Carolina–born guitarist Link Wray, whose Indigenous upbringing influenced his material, is recognized as an early architect of edgy, exploratory rock music.
Bernie Taupin and Chaka Khan are both recognized for their standard-bearing work in the pop arena with Musical Excellence Awards, in addition to Al Kooper, who worked as a rock-focused manager, producer, and songwriter.
The artists who got nominated for 2023 induction but did not make the final cut are A Tribe Called Quest, Cyndi Lauper, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Soundgarden, Warren Zevon, and the White Stripes. Earlier this year, Courtney Love wrote an op-ed for The Guardian criticizing the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s “sexist gatekeeping.”
