Black icons were enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday as part of the most diverse class of inductees to date. Among the list getting their flowers are Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Gil Scott-Heron, Charley Patton, Billy Preston, Clarence Avant and Tina Turner. Other inductees included the Foo Fighters, Carole King, the Go-Go’s and Todd Rundgren.
This was Jay-Z’s first and LL Cool J’s sixth nomination; both will now join the few solo rappers who have the title hall of famer.
Jay-Z’s induction was preceded by a star-studded video presentation including remarks from former President Barack Obama, LeBron James, Rihanna, Samuel L. Jackson, David Letterman and more. Controversial comedian Dave Chapelle, who’s been a hot topic in these streets as of late, did the actual induction, NPR notes.
“He rhymed a recipe for survival,” Chappelle said, according to NBC. “He embodies what the potential of our lives can be and what success can be.”
“[We] were told hip-hop was a fad,” Jay-Z said in his acceptance speech, according to NPR. “Much like punk rock, it gave us this anti-culture, this sub-genre. And there were heroes in it.”
Here’s more about the ceremony set to air on Nov. 20, from NBC:
Rapper LL Cool J was enshrined for musical excellence along with keyboardist Billy Preston and guitarist Randy Rhoads.
Electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, singer-poet Gil Scott-Heron and Delta blues legend Charley Patton were inducted as early influencers and Sussex Records founder Clarence Avant received the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Cool J recruited some of his heavyweight musical friends to usher him into rock immortality. One of rap’s hip-hops first superstars was joined on stage by Eminem and Jennifer Lopez for a powerful career-spanning performance.
Tina Turner, who is now 81 years old and living in Switzerland, was inducted alongside her ex-husband Ike Turner in 1991. She had the most fan ballot votes for a solo induction this year—as she should.
“If they’re still giving me awards at 81,” Turner said in a video message, according to NBC. “I must have done something right.”
The ceremony took place at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland, Ohio, which is also home of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Artists have to wait 25 years after their first recording is released, according to NBC, to be nominated for the recognition of a lifetime.