Jay-Z Wanted to Turn Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to “Hip-Hop Hall of Fame,” Says Chairman

Editor's Note: This post was originally published in January 2025 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame could’ve been rebranded with a new name, "Hip-Hop Hall of Fame," if Jay-Z had his way.

In an interview with Vulture, John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, recalled how the Blueprintrapper suggested that the organization go under a different name when he was inducted back in 2021.

“I was so excited,” Sykes said of Jay’s induction, before continuing on: “But he told me, ‘Rock is dead. It should be called the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame.’ And I said, ‘Well, hip-hop is rock and roll.’”

“He goes, ‘No, it isn’t,’” Sykes continued. “And I said, ‘We’ve got to do a better job explaining it. Little Richard, Otis Redding, Chuck Berry — these artists were the cornerstones of rock and roll. If you look at the sounds over the years, those artists ended up influencing hip-hop.’ Jay-Z hemmed and hawed, but he showed up to the ceremony. That made me feel like we had done our job to communicate that rock and roll is open to all.”

When the 4:44 MC was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he was honored with speeches from Dave Chappelle, Barack Obama and his own wife, Beyoncé, before taking the stage to give a speech himself.

‘Thank you, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for this incredible honor,” he said at the time. “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.”

During the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in October last year, A Tribe Called Quest was inducted. This year's 2025 inductees included OutKast and Salt-N-Pepa.