On Saturday, East Coast rapper Jay-Z was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His debut album, Reasonable Doubt, turned 25 this year, has earned him the honor in his first year of eligibility.
“Thank you, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for this incredible honor,” hip-hop’s first billionaire said while accepting his award. “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.”
Jay-Z continued on to thank big names and icons in his genre, crediting them with the inspiration to start his prolific career. He also thanked his mother and sister for propelling him at the start of his journey, as well as some friends from his youth.
Even when he was told he wasn’t good, he pressed on. “For one second,” he told the audience about how the “audacity of hip-hop” didn’t let him accept failure as an option, “I didn’t change my course.”
After telling an abridged story of how he got where he is today, Jay-Z wrapped it all up by emphasizing “the power of hip-hop” and his hope to inspire the next generation of artists.
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