Rapper Jay-Z was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on October 30th, 2021 in a star-studded ceremony that aired on HBO last night. An A-list roster of celebrities paid tribute to the man of the hour in an introduction video, which included his wife Beyoncé and their 9½-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter, each taking turns to recite their favorite JAY-Z lyrics.
Also appearing in the montage were Rihanna, Diddy, Pharrell, Chris Rock, LeBron James, Common, Usher, to name a few. Former President Barack Obama also prepared a special tribute video for the 23-time Grammy winner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNZolstY2ig
It was comedian Dave Chappelle, however, who introduced the rapper in person, saying, “Hova, my friend. I’m a fan. I’m honored that I got a chance to know you. You embody Black excellence, how great we can be. When Barack Obama was running for president, I sat in an arena in Columbus, and watched you influence the crowd and make sure we’re unified and vote as a body. I understand who you are. And I understand what you do and I a very grateful for your contribution to this art. And I am honored to be the N—a that gets to say, “My N—-a, welcome to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
In his Induction speech, Jay-Z, thanked those who paved the way for him. He said, “Thank you, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, for this incredible honor. And you know, growing up, we didn’t think we could be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We were told that hip-hop was a fad. Much like punk rock, it gave us this anticulture, this subgenre, and there were heroes in it. When thinking about what I was going to say tonight, these heroes just kept coming to my mind, Rakim and Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One and Chuck D, and, of course, a fellow inductee, LL Cool J. I watch these guys, and they have big gold chains and leather and sometimes even the red, black, green medallions and whatever they wore, everybody would wear the next day. I was like, “That’s what I want to do. I want to be like those guys.” And so I set out on my journey.…”
The 2021 Rock & Roll Induction Ceremony is now streaming on @hbomax.
