Common: Queen Latifah, Tribe Called Quest, Nas Belong in Hall of Fame
Common recently revealed his top choices for hip-hop icons that should enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tupac Shakur is the only rapper amongst the 19 acts nominated for the 2017 Rock Hall class.
“Queen Latifah is one of the first people to come to mind,” the rapper tells Rolling Stone as part of a longer interview to be published in the future. “A Tribe Called Quest. De La Soul! De La Soul is so powerful. Nas and OutKast are some that come to mind, as well.”
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first hip-hop act to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the 2007 class. Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and N.W.A have since followed. N.W.A’s 2016 induction stirred up a feud between the legendary West Coast rap group and Gene Simmons after the Kiss member stated that rap had no place in the Rock Hall. “That doesn’t mean those aren’t good artists,” he told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “They don’t play guitar. They sample and they talk. Not even sing.”
Common will release his 11th album, Black America Again, on November 4th. The politically charged LP will address the Black Lives Matter movement and systemic racism. Stevie Wonder, Bilal, BJ the Chicago Kid and John Legend are all featured on the album.
Earlier this year, Common appeared in a few films, including Suicide Squad, Barbershop: The Next Cut and Ava DuVernay’s Netflix documentary 13th. He last partnered with DuVernay to create the Oscar-winning song “Glory” with John Legend for her film Selma.