The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced the most recent round of inductees into its arbitrarily-decided club of elites. Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple, Steve Miller and famed rock n’ roll outfit N.W.A. are all set to receive a spot in the Hall of Fame in 2016.
The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, NY, on April 8. Tickets will go on sale to the public in February, and the event will be broadcast on HBO later in the spring.
This year’s decision follows the previously revealed list of nominations, and means that Janet Jackson, the Smiths, Nine Inch Nails, Chic, the Cars, Chaka Khan, the JB’s, Los Lobos, the Spinners and Yes will have to wait at least until the next annual nominees list is offered. Also, gangsta rap is apparently rock n’ roll now.
“It’s everything that kind of eluded us in a lot of ways when we were coming up,” N.W.A.’s Ice Cube told Rolling Stone, speaking about the honor. “So many people were opinionated about N.W.A. I think everyone now at this point, no matter how you feel about us, understands what the group actually did and what it means to modern music.”
He hinted that the iconic rap group might be willing to perform at the ceremony, though no acts have been confirmed to appear at press time.
Last year’s event featured performances from Beck, Dave Grohl and John Legend; Lou Reed, Green Day, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bill Wither and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band were inducted in 2015.
