It’s that time of year again—Yes the time where musicians and fans merge fronts through various media outlets about the Injustices done by the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. On December 7th, The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame announced eleven new additions to the Hall Of Fame, who will be formally inducted at the 27th annual induction ceremony in April of 2012.
A twenty five year gap must exist between the release of a band’s debut album and their election to the hall of fame. With that, the 
inductee list contains three late eighties and early 90’s rock icons; all three had a substantial role in the swift diffusion of rock music into a plethora of new rock hybrids such as heavy metal, funk metal, and alternative rock. The funk metal pioneers, Red hot Chili Peppers near the top of the list, while many criticize the selection of the rap/rock trio The Beastie Boys. The long-haired Guns N’ Roses are also Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door with their hard rock anthems of the late eighties.
The list also includes three musicians whose careers began in the 60’s; British folk musician Donovan, Bronx-born songwriter and singer Laura Nyro, and The Faces, who were as adored as The Beatles as well as many other early 60’s rock icons in England. Rod Stewart, The Faces member has been inducted into the Hall of Fame twice now, as his first induction was as a solo artist in 1994.
Performer Category
Beastie Boys
Guns N’ Roses
Donovan
Laura Nyro
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Small Faces/ Faces
Early Influence
Freddie King
Ahmet Ertegun (Non-performer) Award
Don Kirshner
The Award for Musical Excellence
Cosimo Matassa
Tom Dowd
Glyn Johns
However, artists year-in and year-out are frustrated by the politics that lie in the cracks of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’s selection process. You don’t remember voting for any of these bands because just over 500 people were sent ballots in late 2011. They have been continuously criticized for lacking transparency about their selection process as well. According to TMZ, the funk sensations War (Low 
Rider, Cisco Kids, and Why Can’t We Be Friends?) are heated about the fact that The Beastie Boys were selected for induction before them. War Lead-singer Howard Scott said to TMZ source that they were “cranking out gold records while they were still in diapers!” The Beastie Boys are now the third hip-hop act that has been selected to the Hall of Fame following the inductions of Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five in 2007.
Despite the colossal amount of criticism that the Hall of Fame nomination process takes, a number of names on the list went unquestioned by the media. Early Influence inductee Freddie King has been flagged as one of the most masterful blues guitarists even by other infamous shredders such as Eric Clapton, Mike Bloomfield, and Carlos Santana. Cosimo Matassa engineered nearly every Rhythm and Blues record in New Orleans for nearly 30 years.
So who really got screwed this year?
Bloggers and writers call for the induction of many musicians. Here are a few that are anxiously awaiting and deserving of a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame sooner than most:
The induction of GnR into the Hall of Fame brings up many questions to their loyal fan base. Former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash is said to have not spoken to lead-singer Axl Rose since 1996 when he left the band. Rumors went around of a possible reunion tour, but Axl Rose stifled those rumors in February. Has anything changed since the announcement of their induction into the Hall Of Fame?
For the first time ever, a group was inducted in their first year of eligibility. Guns N’ Roses was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2012 after releasing five total releases with original members and six in total. Was it too soon given the list of musicians that could be more qualified for induction?
There are a number of questions fans want answered about the selection process. However, the nominees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are all still game-changers. Is there any group YOU would have preferred to see inducted this year?
Article By: Matt Emodi
