Audacity
Eminem packs as much punch as any heavy metal band – or so the guy who runs the Rock & Roll HOF says… not so great.
Greg Harris – the CEO of the Hall – said so this week in an interview with Audacity …where he discussed the many inductees who will be inducted at this year’s ceremony – including, of course, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, carly simon and Slim Shady, among others.
During her conversation, Harris was singing the praises of everyone, including Judas Priestwho are also inducted after being snubbed twice before – but especially for Mr Mathers… whose music he has dubbed “as punchy and direct as any metal song”.
Harris went to say that Em was going to be the 10th hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Hall – the first was Grandmaster Flash and the five furious in 2007 – adding that Slim has been an integral part of the hall for some time now…helping to induct Run-DMC and LL cool J.
Indeed, Em has helped celebrate hip-hop acts on the big stage…and he’s definitely earned it, even in his 1st year of eligibility. Here’s the problem, though, at least in some people’s minds – Harris seems to downplay the impact/significance of the metal.
Whether Eminem’s music actually matches the energy of a traditional metal song/act is up for debate…but what some die-hards hear in his remarks is a lack of respect for genre.
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Some say this is further proven by the fact that Judas Priest is only now receiving his flowers…even though he has been eligible for induction for over 20 years now.
Singer Rob Halford recently shouted the significance of JP’s entry, albeit a late one, and what it means for metal bands everywhere…or even for legendary hard rock bands in general, several of whom have also been inducted after years of absence in the ballot … or who have not yet been recognized at all, like Motorhead or Iron Maiden for example.
Does Eminem’s music hit harder than Judas Priest???
Meanwhile, it seems — to some, anyway — that Hall voters are eager to induct certain artists right away … making this more of a popularity contest than anything.
Anyway, back to the question posed – is Eminem actually as impactful as Priest??? 🎵