N.W.A Will Not Perform at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony
N.W.A makes history yet again. The “World’s Most Dangerous Group” is set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Kendrick Lamar tonight, but fans shouldn’t expect a reunion performance there.
Before the 31st annual induction ceremony takes place, Ice Cube spoke with The New York Times about what the night means and why the icons won’t be performing together.
“We’re not performing,” he explained. “I guess we really didn’t feel like we were supported enough to do the best show we could put on…We wanted to do it on a whole other level, and that just couldn’t happen.”
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Nevertheless, Cube said it doesn’t change how the group feels about the induction. “We’re totally honored, humbled, and appreciative to the Hall for even just considering us, inducting us and inviting us,” he said.
All members of the group, including Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, and MC Ren, plan on attending. “I believe everybody’s going to be there. As it stands now,” said Cube.
In the past, Cube has said that he plans on reuniting N.W.A at Coachella. Check out more highlights from his NYT interview below.
On Straight Outta Compton’s Hall of Fame impact: “I think it was the thing that put us over the top. [N.W.A had been nominated three times before.] The movie was able to remind them of the impact of the group on pop culture and that the music is just as much rock ‘n’ roll as anything. Rock ‘n’ roll is a form of sped-up blues to me.”
On Gene Simmons saying rap doesn’t belong in the Rock Hall: “I respect Gene Simmons, but I think he’s wrong on this, because rock ‘n’ roll is not an instrument and it’s not singing. Rock ‘n’ roll is a spirit. N.W.A is probably more rock ‘n’ roll than a lot of the people that he thinks belong there over hip-hop. We had the same spirit as punk rock, the same as the blues.”
On former N.W.A manager Jerry Heller: “I don’t have anything to say to Jerry. He’s never owned up to his participation in the destruction of the ‘World’s Most Dangerous Group.’ So he doesn’t deserve to be mentioned. The music that we put together, he had little or nothing to do with. We would never listen to his ideas.”