The South had something to say on Nov. 8 as legendary rap group Outkast was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside hip-hop pioneers Salt-N-Pepa and soul icons Sly and The Family Stone.
The Atlanta-born artists were inducted by rapper/actor Donald Glover, who spoke to the group’s influence on his own creativity.
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“Big Boi and André, I want to personally, thank you. Around the time Speakerboxxx/The Love Below came out, I wrote a letter from college to my brother, and I said, ‘I had a dream that we wrote a show together,” he said during his speech. “Thank you for showing me that brothers may not always see eye to eye and their philosophies or styles, but they need each other in a world that would rather see them both fail together. … Atlanta is not the music Mecca it has become without you. There is no Childish Gambino without you. There is no South without you.”
For their musical tribute, the Hall of Fame tapped Tyler, The Creator, Janelle Monae, Doja Cat, Jid, Killer Mike, Sleepy Brown, and Big Boi himself to do the honors. Tyler’s performance of “B.O.B (Bombs Over Bagdad)” was a spot-on rendering of the group’s electric and magnifying lyricism and energy.
Meanwhile, Janelle’s cover of Andre 3000’s Grammy-winning “Hey Ya” was also a highlight. Big Boi took to the stage with Jid for “ATLiens” and later joined Killer Mike and Sleepy Brown for “The Way You Move.” Bravo!
Though he didn’t perform on the evening, Andre 3000 still made his mark, delivering a speech about their journey, inspirations, and brotherhood that brought the Peacock Theater to its feet.
“A lot of times it’s a lot more than just the notes or the instruments that you playing,” he said during his remarks. “It’s everybody that’s around you. It’s the family, and this is my family. It’s the wives, it’s the girlfriends, it’s the girl you broke up with that pissed you off and made you write a song. All of that is important … It has a lot to do with the bands that were out at the same time that influenced us, all the rappers that were out, from Busta Rhymes to Missy [Elliot] to Nas to Wu-Tang and then even before, we got Kilo [Ali], we got Raheem the Dream. We were watching dancers in Atlanta. Those were our heroes growing up.”
During one particularly emotional part of his speech, 3 Stacks spoke on Outkast’s humble beginnings.
“Great things start in little rooms. We started in a little room,” he said through tears.
Salt-N-Pepa also became new inductees that evening, with Missy Elliott taking on the role of highlighting their influence on hip hop.
With Missy so often being named as one of the most influential artists of her generation both musically and visually, it was nice to see her give flowers to those who influenced her. Plus, she became the first female rapper to be nominated for and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.
“The reason that you even know Missy Elliott’s name is because of Salt, Pepa, and Spinderella,” she said in her speech. “When you see your favorite rapper, understand that if they’re on top, there’s a foundation that they’re standing on. These three women are the bricklayers to the foundation that holds hip-hop together. They gave us their shoulders to stand on.”
Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton have reunited and performed together in recent years; however, they’d been long estranged from their DJ, Deidra “Spinderella” Roper. So, fans were elated to see them put their differences aside for such a memorable night. They also brought along En Vogue for a performance of “Whatta Man” and Spinderella—who became the first female DJ to be inducted into the Hall of Fame—had a solo moment to show why she’s still one of the best.
Though there to celebrate a major milestone in their musical history, Salt-N-Pepa also used the moment to talk about the predatory nature of the industry on artists. Salt revealed that the group’s music is not available for streaming amid an ongoing battle for ownership.
“This is for every woman who picked up a mic when they told her her she couldn’t,” she said. “As we celebrate this moment, fans can’t even stream our music. It’s been taken down from all streaming platforms because the industry still doesn’t want to play fair. Salt-N-Pepa have never been afraid of a fight. This is the Influence Award. We have to keep using our influence until the industry honors creativity the way the audience does — with love, respect and fairness — and that includes streaming platforms too.”
Despite their current struggles, Salt-N-Pepa’s place in music history is firmly cemented. They were the first female rap act to have gold and platinum records as well as the first female rappers to earn a Grammy. They also hold a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy and were given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022.
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