{"id":477117,"date":"2026-02-15T20:10:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T20:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/477117\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T20:10:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T20:10:08","slug":"kiss-dont-have-a-lot-of-roll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/477117\/","title":{"rendered":"KISS don’t have a lot of roll"},"content":{"rendered":"

Public Enemy<\/a>\u2019s Chuck D<\/a> has responded to Gene Simmons<\/a>\u2019 recent comments that hip-hop shouldn\u2019t belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

Both Chuck D and Simmons are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees, with Public Enemy becoming the fourth hip-hop act to be inducted in 2013, while Simmons was inducted with KISS<\/a>\u00a0a year later.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week, Simmons appeared on the Legends and Leaders podcast and hit out at the inclusion of hip-hop in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.\u00a0During the episode, Simmons lamented \u201cthe fact that Iron Maiden<\/a> is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, when they can sell out stadiums, and Grandmaster Flash<\/a> is.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to asking why Led Zeppelin<\/a> weren\u2019t inducted, Simmons also hit out at the genre itself in a racially veiled comment. \u201cIt\u2019s not my music. I don\u2019t come from the ghetto. It doesn\u2019t speak my language.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bassist then faced an onslaught of backlash to his comments, including from Chuck D, who took to social media to reiterate that rock and roll as a term was more inclusive than he made out.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Talking to TMZ<\/a>, the rapper said Simmons had wilfully forgotten about the \u201croll\u201d part of the Hall\u2019s name, which spans several genres.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything else other than rock, when rock \u2018n\u2019 roll splintered in the \u201960s, is the roll,\u201d he explained. \u201cSoul music, reggae, hip-hop, which is rap music. Hip-hop is a culture, so it embodies sight, sound, story, and style.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut music, the vocal on top of the music, has already been determined. So that\u2019s the roll, that\u2019s flow, that\u2019s the soul in it. KISS are rock gods, but they don\u2019t have a lot of roll to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

When fans hit out at Simmons over his comment, he doubled down on his stance, telling People<\/a>, \u201cI stand by my words.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chuck D is thee right person to address Gene Simmons\u2019 tone deaf commentary.<\/p>\n

I love how he focuses on the importance of music creation and narratives because it\u2019s not enough to own our stories.<\/p>\n

We have to keep telling them too. #BHM<\/a>pic.twitter.com\/qSIqLcxNTZ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Renee (@PettyLupone) February 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

He also denied that his choice of words carried racially insensitive undertones, saying, \u201cGhetto is a Jewish term \u2026 How could you be, when rock is Black music? It\u2019s just a different Black music than hip-hop, which is also Black music.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, Simmons acknowledged that \u201crock \u2018n\u2019 roll owes everything to Black music\u201d and said \u201call the major forms of American music owe their roots to Black music\u201d.<\/p>\n

Simmons made similar waves in 2016 following\u00a0NWA<\/a>\u2018s induction into the Rock Hall Of Fame, telling Rolling Stone at the time he was \u201clooking forward to the death of rap\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At that year\u2019s ceremony, MC Ren responded to his comments<\/a> and pointedly told him: \u201cHip-hop is here forever. We\u2019re supposed to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n