Recently, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been the target of criticism and comments regarding its most recent list of inductees. As you saw on Wikimetal , one of the favorites to enter the Class of 2021 was Iron Maiden , who were nominated for the first time in their career, but did not receive a place of honor in the institution.
The decision displeased metal fans and raised other questions, especially regarding the acceptance of rapper Jay-Z , who is not considered to be in the "rock n' roll" category. In response to the protests, the president and CEO of the Hall of Fame, Greg Harris , justified the reason for not simply changing the institution's name to Music Hall of Fame (via Loudwire ).
“I think people need to broaden their concept of rock 'n' roll. It's one big tent. Rock 'n' roll was never just four skinny guys with long hair and guitars; it's always been something diverse… We use this interpretation, that these are all variants of rock 'n' roll. And I think, underneath all that, the issue always comes down to hip-hop because some people aren't fans,” Harris said. “It's one big tent and everyone fits into it. It's an attitude, a spirit, and that's rock 'n' roll.”
Speaking specifically about Iron Maiden, Harris acknowledged the band's importance and stressed that this is precisely why they were among the 15 nominees, but he did not give a concrete answer as to why the group was not accepted in 2021. "We're not questioning whether they are important, impactful, and influential," said the president. "Everyone has their favorites; everyone has different artists who have impacted them or impacted other artists. In this case, if you look at this list, you can use that argument for all the nominees, just as people use that argument for Iron Maiden."
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