This post was originally published on Defender Network
“MOST DIVERSE” ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAME?
Lately, when there is a major entertainment awards ceremony, I immediately get on Issa Rae’s “I’m rooting for everybody Black” mode. When I read that the six Black artists inducted to the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF) were the among the “most diverse,” I wasn’t sure if I should have felt excited or disappointed. Six Black people? Dass it? Really? Critics say RRHOF always had a representation problem. You would have thought after the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, became the first woman inducted into the RRHOF, that things would’ve changed, but nah, not so much. The birth of rock and roll can largely be attributed to Black musicians and it’s interesting that this “most diverse” recognition is coming at a time when diversity and inclusion just became such a trendy topic. Congratulations to Tina Turner, Jay-Z, Clarence Avant, Gil Scott-Heron, LL Cool J and Bill Preston. Let’s keep this same energy for next year, okay?