December 18, 2015
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: N.W.A. and Chicago Among Inductees
Los Angeles hip-hop royalty N.W.A is among the inductees for this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame enshrinement. The group will also include artists and bands such as Cheap Trick, Chicago, Steve Miller, and Deep Purple. The ceremony will take place on April 8 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
[Related: NAACP Image Awards: Box Office Hits ‘Creed’ and ‘Straight Outta Compton’ Take the Lead]
The story of N.W.A.’s rise to fame was immortalized via the blockbuster film Straight Outta Compton this summer, reintroducing their legacy and music to a new generation.
More than 800 members of the Hall’s voting committee, which includes artists, historians, and music industry members, chose this year’s inductees. To be eligible for nomination, the acts must have released their first single or album in 1990 or earlier. N.W.A. has been considered for the honor five times before.
This year’s honorees beat out other legendary artists including Janet Jackson, Nine Inch Nails, The Smiths, Los Lobos, and Chic, who have set a record in nominations standing at 10.
[WATCH: N.W.A. & Straight Outta Compton — A Live Conversation via Universal Pictures]
N.W.A., whose original members include Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, Kim “Arabian Prince” Nazel, Eric “Eazy-E” Wright, and Oshea “Ice Cube” Jackson Sr., was a pivotal part of hip-hop history with raw lyricism and song themes that put a spotlight on police brutality, racism, and sexism. Their debut studio album, Straight Outta Compton, was released in 1988 and featured controversial singles including F*** the Police, which caught national and federal attention, taking their brand viral before the days of Twitter and Facebook. Their chart-topping rise to success led to major future success for two of the group’s founding members, Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, who have both gone on to become major powerhouses in film, technology, and music.
HBO will broadcast this spring’s ceremony and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland will open a special exhibit honoring the new additions.