The first Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony was held on January 23rd, 1986 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City; and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Roberta Flack was on-hand to induct rock & roll legend Little Richard. Flack was excited for the occasion, and she'd just been introduced by former Atlantic Records president and industry icon Ahmet Ertegun.
"Thank you very much, Ahmet, for letting me be a part of this wondrous, splendiferous moment," Flack began, before acknowledging some of her famous friends in the audience like Yoko Ono and Paul Shaffer. And then she made a point to acknowledge an uncomfortable truth. "All of my heroes are being honored tonight," she said. "With the exception of some people whose names I'd also like to call: Tina Turner. Big Maybelle. Lavern Baker. Janis Joplin.
"Maybe next year will be the year for women..."
That initial Rock Hall Of Fame inductee class included Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Brown, Sam Cooke, The Everly Brothers and the aforementioned Little Richard. A veritable who's-who of 50s rock & roll and R&B, but it featured not one female inductee—something that Flack was righteous to call out. It's been 36 years since that inaugural class of Hall of Famers; and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has just announced its 2022 nominees for induction. The list includes a pair of Hip-Hop notables in the eclectic A Tribe Called Quest and fiery Eminem; alongside a wide-range of popular music icons, including new wave pioneers DEVO, soul-pop crooner Lionel Richie, and country legend Dolly Parton. It's another noteworthy year for female nominees, as rocker Pat Benatar, alternative pixie Kate Bush, singer-songwriter Carly Simon, 60s pop icon Dionne Warwick and the Annie Lennox-fronted Eurythmics are all among the Hall's nominations. But despite Hip-Hop and female representation; female rappers are still absent.
Hip-Hop artists have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2007, when Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five became the first rappers to be inducted. And after Roberta Flack's stand for women, Aretha Franklin became the first woman inducted into the Rock Hall in 1987. But artists like MC Lyte, Roxanne Shante and Queen Latifah haven't been nominated, despite eligibility. Arriving in 1984, Shante set the standard for female emcees to be taken seriously in a male-dominated genre; MC Lyte took up that mantle a few years later, becoming the first solo female rapper to drop an album in 1988. Latifah became arguably rap's most famous female artist in the early 1990s; eventually becoming one of the genre's biggest crossover stars. It should be noted that Lil Kim and Foxy Brown are eligible for the Hall since last year; with Kim being widely regarded as a trailblazer for female sexuality with her 1996 debut album. And making her own first appearances that same year before kickstarting a visionary career in 1997, Missy Elliott is also now eligible for the Hall starting this year.
It's past time to induct some female rappers. That should be indisputable. After 15 years, it's long overdue for there to be more of a female rap presence there. But, with all due respect to the women who have broken ground in rap music—and with reverence to all of the previously-named icons—the first female Hip-Hop inductees should be Salt-N-Pepa.