Gene Simmons Doubles Down on Controversial Rock Hall Comments About Rap Artists

Gene Simmons is once again speaking out about who belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Kiss bassist recently defended earlier remarks criticizing the Hall for inducting rap artists while leaving out some hard rock and heavy metal acts.

During a Feb. 7 appearance on the LegendsNLeaders podcast, Simmons questioned why bands like Iron Maiden have not been inducted. He pointed out that the group can still fill large venues. “[who] can sell out stadiums,” he said, arguing they were passed over in favor of hip-hop pioneers such as Grandmaster Flash.

Podcast Remarks Draw Backlash

Simmons also described a debate he had with Ice Cube. “Ice Cube and I had a back and forth [about this}, Simmons continued. “He’s a bright guy and I respect what he’s done. It’s not my music. I don’t come from the ghetto. It doesn’t speak my language, and I said in print many times hip-hop does not belong in the rock and roll hall of fame nor does opera symphony orchestras.”

That comment, especially the reference to the ghetto, sparked criticism online. The word later appeared to be edited out of the original YouTube video. Simmons has faced similar backlash before, including after comments he made following the 2016 death of Prince and remarks about the 2025 death of former bandmate Ace Frehley. In those cases, he apologized. This time, he has not backed down.

 

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Standing Firm on His Position

“I stand by my words,” he told People magazine. “Let’s cut to the chase. The word ‘ghetto,’ it originated with Jews. It was borrowed by African-Americans in particular and respectfully, not in a bad way.”

He also rejected claims that his remarks were racist. “Ghetto is a Jewish term … How could you be [racist], when rock is Black music? It’s just a different Black music than hip-hop, which is also Black music. Rock ‘n’ roll owes everything to Black music, statement of fact, period. All the major forms of American music owe their roots to Black music.”

A Rocky History With the Hall

Simmons has long criticized the Hall itself. In 2012, he said, “It’s become a joke. We’ve been thinking about it and the answer is simply, ‘We’ll just buy it and fire everybody.'”

Kiss was finally inducted in 2019, though only the four original members were honored. That left out former members like Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr, both of whom played key roles during successful years for the band. By comparison, Metallica inducted bassist Robert Trujillo in 2009, even though he had appeared on only one studio album at the time.

Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley later shared his frustration. “They treated us like crap, even that night,” he explained. “We had trouble – how about this? – getting into the arena. We had no idea about the rundown of the show or when we were getting on stage. It was disgraceful what they did, but we won.”