Here are a few things to keep in mind about the Ice Cube beef with KISS frontman Gene Simmons. Both these guys are experts at drawing attention and they’ve both gotten insanely rich doing it. (Cube is said to be worth over $100 million; Simmons over $300 million.) They’re also both pretty tough guys with strong opinions that many people disagree with. They’re both groundbreaking performance artists, too, who rose out of difficult circumstances to achieve massive success. So N.W.A. — Ice Cube’s breakthrough act — got into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Gene Simmons thinks that’s wrong. They’re going to capitalize on the disagreement. It pays. “Respect N.W.A.,” Simmons says, “but when Led Zep gets into Rap Hall of Fame, I will agree with your point.”
The beef is actually pretty civil considering some rap beefs in the past. It’s taking place on social media, not on dangerous Vegas streets with tinted windows and GLOCKs. Gene Simmons basically has a category problem with N.W.A. getting in the the Rock hall — Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby aren’t in, so neither should Grandmaster Flash or Tupac is Simmons’ idea. They don’t fit, great as they are, the KISS man argues. So call the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the Pop Hall of Fame — remembering pop stands for popular — and it’s a one-size-fits-all place.
Cube – I stand by my words. Respect NWA, but when Led Zep gets into Rap Hall of Fame, I will agree with your point. https://t.co/CQUoJwhZJb
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) April 11, 2016
