Over the weekend, history was made as Kendrick Lamar inducted legendary rap group, N.W.A, into the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. Detailing what each member brought to the group, as well as what the group gave him, Lamar outlined why it is about time these pioneers got some of the recognition they deserve. “It was dubbed gangsta rap, but what it was for me was an intimate look at what was actually happening in our community in Los Angeles, and in Compton in particular,” He said.
However, not everyone was too happy about the Hall of Fame’s most recent additions. KISS‘s Gene Simmons, who is like a bad smell that just happened and now won’t go away, has shared his unwanted opinion on the situation saying N.W.A are not technically “rock n roll”.
“You’ve got Grandmaster Flash in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Run-D.M.C. in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? You’re killing me. That doesn’t mean those aren’t good artists. But they don’t play guitar. They sample and they talk. Not even sing,” He said, before exclaiming his excitement for the death of hip-hop to Billboard.
Now, aside from the fact that the Hall of Fame has inductees like Aretha Franklin, James Brown and more artists who aren’t technically “rock n roll”, it has to be said- who the hell cares what Simmons has to say? The man has come into recent media attention like that weird uncle that comes to Christmas lunch and just talks to make noise, and Simmons’ desperate attempts to become relevant again are thinly veiled. But thankfully, even people like Ice Cube can see through it too.
Cube hit back at Simmons in his acceptance speech, drawing attention to the facts that they sure as hell deserve to be there, and that it’s happening whether Simmons likes it or not. Cube said in his speech, “The question is, ‘Are we rock ‘n’ roll?’ And I say — you goddamn right we rock ‘n’ roll. Rock ‘n’ roll is not an instrument. It’s not even a style of music. It’s a spirit that’s been going on since the blues, jazz, bebop, soul, rock ‘n’ roll, R&B, heavy metal, punk rock, and yes, hip-hop.”
Unfortunately for Simmons, he doesn’t know when to quit, and had this to say in response to Ice Cube:
https://twitter.com/genesimmons/status/718903122874097664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
You’re playing with fire, Simmons…
Image: NY Daily News
The discovery that an idol is, in fact, stood upon feet of clay is fairly common, if disappointing- and recent comments from KISS’ Gene Simmons seem to indicate that the rock god’s platform boots are filled with the stuff. As for specific substance, it appears that Simmons and arch-idiot Donald Trump have been wading in the same – the cement that’s lying ready to form the wall between America and Mexico.
Or at least that’s how it sounds. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the KISS frontman gave his own views on Trump, and how he has affected American politics. Simmons maintains that he does not support or endorse Trump, quickly pointing out that “He has said some very vile, unkind things”. And, while he does continue to discuss Trump in terms that do verge on admiration, to most readers reflexive disgust I would imagine, I do fully agree with him when he says “Don’t kid yourself” where Trump is concerned.
No matter how many cruel memes, articles and even app games we make, mocking Trump (or his hair), he has come too far to be ignored. Simmons describes Trump as “the truest political animal I’ve ever seen onstage,” before going on to quantify that accolade as this: “He has no speechwriters, no editing, no nothing. He’s actually on tape going ‘motherfucker.’ You cannot turn away.”
Image via CNN
It’s not exactly surprising that a member of KISS would be impressed by the lack of censorship and the sort of shock factor that Trump represents. But either way, you can’t deny that something in Trump’s presentation has captured vast amounts of Americans. In speaking fairly pragmatically about Trump as a political figure, Simmons manages to latch onto a very likely truth. The admission that, while his envisioned America seems so obviously awful to so many, Trump has tapped into ideas that millions of people do apparently agree with.
Asserting that “he’s good for the political system,” Simmons gave the media a perfect opportunity to nail him down in camp Trump. He continues; ”The middle, the centrists, they can say, ‘What do you think of this?’ because everybody is sick and tired of being politically correct.” And there is some truth to that statement, as political parties become increasingly less defined. However Simmons’ following comment has drawn the most attention.
“Secretly, tens of millions, perhaps 100 million people may actually have some positive feelings about a wall.” Simmons is a little unclear as to whether he personally supports Trumps idea to build a wall between America and Mexico, perhaps one of Trump’s most controversial ideas to date.
“Macedonia is building a wall between Greece and Macedonia,” he continues. “There’s a wall between Israel and a neighboring country. There was a Berlin Wall. There was the Great Wall of China. So whether they’re good or bad for people, walls actually work. It’s unkind, but in terms of pragmatics, it actually works … The Pope has said the wall is unkind, but it’s interesting that at the Vatican there’s a wall. They don’t want people on the outside coming into the Vatican.”
Simmons’ view that those walls “worked” is correct is questionable. They may have served a purpose, but the purpose that these walls achieved was not necessarily right to begin with. However, I do agree that Trump is clearly saying what a surprisingly vast number of people apparently want to hear.
Image via In These Times
Something about Trump has caught America. Whether it’s his unorthodox persona and approach, his highly emotional campaigning, or his ability to dress up unpalatable policies as a kind of “I’m simply saying what you’re all thinking,” Trump’s campaign seems to offer solutions where American’s have lost faith in their political leaders. And numbers of Americans, in turn, seem to be jumping at those solutions.
Simmons maintains that “Trump is not a politician. He does not need your money, and he will speak his mind, God damn it, whether you like it or not. And he has no problem saying ‘Fuck off’… I like that, even if I disagree.” And in some ways I can see his point, the idea of an assertive and real politician is so unlike the clean-cut mouth pieces that lead politics today.
But I would edit Simmons statement to this; Trump could be good for the political system. Trump could be the catalyst for American politicians to truly fight hard for their beliefs and ideas. He could also be the threat that actually demands vanquishing. The threat of Trump’s American dream should surely be enough kill the apathy within politics, and to spark some real passion to offer up a different solution – one that isn’t half as scary.
Image via Rolling Stone
Gene Simmons of the once-glamorous hair metal band, KISS, recently shared his disdain for rap music in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying that he was “looking forward to the death of rap.” In an effort to discredit THE ENTIRE GENRE, he said: “A song, as far as I’m concerned, is by definition lyric and melody…or just melody. Rap will die. Next year, 10 years from now, at some point, and then something else will come along.”
Being passionate about the music you like is one thing, but the crux of Simmons’ statement isn’t the music he likes, it’s the negativity he tries to throw towards a legitimate art-form because he just doesn’t understand it.
The damaging thing about this is that it fuels people to spend time hating on music they think they don’t like and all that’s achieved is a spill of ignorance into the cracks where great music dwells undiscovered.
Simmons isn’t the first old-time rocker to angrily shake his guitar-shaped walking stick at the gosh-darned, fast-talking whippersnappers either. An NME feature titled “The Razor Tongue of Keith Richards: 17 Artists He’s Slammed,” details the Stones guitarist’s opinion that rap is only impressive because it shows how many tone-deaf people exist. The article could be renamed “17 Times Keith Richards Was A Bit Mean For No Reason.”
I’m fully aware that Simmons gets the “music business” more than I do (mainly because I’ve not tried to get it on with the entire music business – KISS condoms anyone?) but his prophecy that “rap will die” is only ignorantly wish-based, and given that rap has been ingrained in popular consciousness since the likes of Grandmaster Flash and Grand Wizard Theodore pioneered still-utilized hip-hop DJ techniques only forty years ago, its a relatively young genre of music, and it’s continuously growing. Whether it maintains its mainstream success (which it almost certainly will) isn’t really relevant to the fact that people will continue to love it.
Gene Simmons: A Beacon Of Musical Knowledge & Reason. Image: CNN
The two examples mentioned above, of what should only really be described as closed-mindedness by big players in the rock world, aren’t irritating simply because they are closed-minded. For one thing, it’s totally insulting to the millions of genuine rap fans when someone who could be considered a respectable musician completely ignores the fact that real people, with real ears, and real feelings of positive association LOVE rap and hip-hop — and for good reason, too. That passion isn’t in place because a few businessmen decided to sneakily slip it into the collective subconscious. The passion isn’t in place because rap fans are all idiots who wouldn’t know a good song if it smacked them in the head. It’s in place because so many people identify with it on countless levels, whether as a way to express themselves or to witness other artists express themselves, whether it tells a story they can relate to, or one they can aspire to or fantasize about, or, simply, because it’s fun, or complex, or just good for a dance. Whatever the reason, hip-hop is just as intricate, expansive, meaningful, fun and expressive as any other form of music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4o8TeqKhgY
There wasn’t any cheating involved in the rise of rap music. It didn’t lie or steal, it certainly didn’t rob rock ‘n roll of its spotlight. The fact that rock had to share some of the attention was only a small price to pay for an increase in diversity, and whenever older rock stars bitch about it, that’s all it really is – unwanted bitching.
Rap obviously has had its questionable moments, but so has rock, in exactly the same ways. And Simmons is really contesting the power of say, Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 masterpiece To Pimp A Butterfly?
Lamar spear-headed a huge project that ended up resonating commercially, critically and personally. It won 5 Grammys, it blew (and given how dense it is, continues to blow) minds all over the planet, it helped inspire Compton’s Mayor, Aja Brown, to gift the rapper with the key to her city, and the hook from the track “Alright” was chanted at a protest that stopped a Donald Trump rally from taking place in Chicago. Lamar is (in my opinion anyway) a great example of how incredible hip-hop can be, but it’s a genre full of artists bursting at the seams with original ideas and energy. In other words, its a far cry from what Simmons and Richards perceive to be just talking over a simple drum-beat.
Certainly on a lyrical level, it’s ridiculous to suggest that Simmons’ music has any more depth and validity so some hip-hop.
Let’s take a look at lyrics as a point of comparison.
Is the alarmingly forceful,
“You need my love baby, oh so bad
You’re not the only one I’ve ever had
And if I say I wanna set you free
Don’t you know you’ll be in misery
They call me (Dr. Love)
They call me Dr. Love (calling Dr. Love)
I’ve got the cure you’re thinkin’ of (calling Dr. Love)
And even though I’m full of sin
In the end you’ll let me in
You’ll let me through, there’s nothin’ you can do
You need my lovin’, don’t you know it’s true”
And the poetic, inspired,
“I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day”
Really more legitimate and important and relevant and worthy of existence than this song or this one or this one? Of course, we’re aware there’s a lot of horrible, pointless and downright offensive rap music out there, but there’s also a lot that’s really fucking interesting and insightful.
Gene, we’re not saying there’s no time or place for Kiss, but maybe you should get an education in what hip-hop can entail, before slamming the entire damn genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-48u_uWMHY
Furthermore, Simmons claimed that one of the reasons he doesn’t understand the genre is that, “I don’t have the cultural background to appreciate being a gangster.”
Don’t worry, he clarified that he realizes you dno’t actually have to be a gang member to understand the genre. “Of course that’s not what it’s all about, but that’s where it comes from. That’s the heart and soul of it. It came from the streets.”
The Rolling Stone writer went on to question Simmons, pointing out that Kiss came from the very same New York streets as some of the greatest rappers in history.
“Sure, but other than Kiss, which plays stadiums around the world, there’s no other New York band that was ever able to do that,” he responded. “Ramones never had a gold album until some of them died. We took Anthrax out on one of their first tours, but we’re talking about stadiums.”
Firstly, that’s straight up just not true. Secondly, huh? That has nothing to do with the question. What on earth does playing in a stadium have to do with understanding the importance, or at least the necessity of a genre like hip-hop? Once again, Gene Simmons proves that he is, well, a misguided fool. Since when does selling out stadiums imply cultural importance? By that token you could argue that One Direction are more important than The Beatles.
Potentially the most annoying thing about this is that Gene Simmons seems to be unable, or unwilling to acknowledge the fact that guitar music is very well represented throughout the modern popular music landscape, on scales large and small. Arctic Monkeys are so successful that Alex Turner’s rumoured net-worth is $22 million, Dave Grohl alone is worth close to a quarter billion, Radiohead just sold out their stadium tour so fast that Thom Yorke himself has had to personally take a stand against ticket scalpers. Even younger bands, like Twin Peaks and Hinds, are completely taking the world by storm just now – using their guitars.
Just because it doesn’t have as big a slice of the pop-music pie as it once had, it doesn’t mean that “rock’n’roll” is dying, and this further highlights the ridiculousness of comments that pine for “real music” to come back. Real music is still around and thanks to the progression of technology, it come in pretty much every shape and sound you can possibly imagine.
Real music exists – in rock AND in rap. You just can’t be fucked looking for it, Gene.
Words by Greg Murray
Originally published on Indie News
Image: Genius
Hip-hop is one of the most prominent genres in the contemporary music world. Its influence is unparalleled and since it’s inception in the 1970s, it has gone from strength to strength as an artistic medium. However, one prominent musician seems to think that hip hop’s influence is rather benign, in fact, that it would eventually go away.
Gene Simmons, otherwise known as the bass guitarist and co-lead singer of Kiss, made some pretty inflammatory comments in an interview with Rolling Stone, entitled “Gene Simmons Skewers Pop Charts, Is ‘Looking Forward to Death of Rap,” in which he, yes, explicitly states, “I am looking forward to the death of rap.”
“I’m looking forward to music coming back to lyrics and melody, instead of just talking. A song, as far as I’m concerned, is by definition lyric and melody … or just melody,” he adds.
Continuing to assert his rather controversial stance on the matter, Simmons adds: ”Rap will die… Next year, 10 years from now, at some point, and then something else will come along. And all that is good and healthy.”
Simmons, ever the expert, revealed to countless disillusioned hip-hop heads out there that rap is “just talking.” He goes onto to say that he doesn’t have the cultural background to appreciate being a ‘gangster’ because rap comes from the streets.
“A song, as far as I’m concerned, is by definition lyric and melody … or just melody,” he says.
Oddly enough EDM seemed to gain a seal approval in Simmons eyes. “EDM is honest. EDM says, ‘Here’s a guy onstage who does fuck-all, he does nothing. He presses a button and puts his hands up in the air. He doesn’t pretend to be lip-syncing to a track.”
Naturally some took offence to these rather reductive comments, namely Talib Kweli. Striking back at Simmons over Twitter, Kweli had a pretty ruthless comeback for Simmons.
Would it be unfair of me to say I’m looking forward to the death @genesimmons or nah? Chuck Berry shits on Kiss. pic.twitter.com/ZNGkeAjaGT
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) March 18, 2016
Simmons had a curt retort prepared for Kweli on Twitter.
Apparently pointing out that everything is cyclical – even music – is “controversial”. People are very easily offended. — Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) March 18, 2016
Me: Rock is dead
people: outrage!
Me: Rap will probably die eventually.
People: outrage!
Me: the sky is blue.
People: sometimes it’s orange!— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) March 18, 2016
Kweli had good response prepared for Simmons Twitter diatribe, firing back:
Pointing out everything is “cyclical” is different than “looking forward” to things dying. Do better Gene. https://t.co/7OJHZLHPdf
— Talib Kweli Greene (@TalibKweli) March 18, 2016
He finished off by posting a picture with the lyrics of KRS-One’s song Hip Hop Lives
Some KRS One lyrics for @genesimmons
A photo posted by Talib Kweli (@talibkweli) on Mar 18, 2016 at 7:12am PDT
This isn’t the first time Simmons has expressed incredulity about the inclusion of rap into the annals of music greatness.
When asked in a 2014 interview with radio.com about his book Ladies of the Night: A Historical and Personal Perspective on the Oldest Profession in the World, Simmons said that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was “a well meaning organization run by about ten guys,” and “these ten guys, some of them are good guys, some perhaps not, decided that there would be rappers and disco artists inducted.”
“A few people decide what’s in and what’s not. And the masses just scratch their heads,” he continues further on in the interview.
Hey Gene, what about hair metal? You know, that overly-theatrical genre you’re a part of which focuses more on leather pants and makeup than music and lyrics? Reckon that will outlast rap? Oh wait, it’s already dead.
Images: thesource.com
Few things in the music industry are more unintentionally funny than when a curmudgeonly elder statesman of rock and roll throws their weight around in a rant about today’s music. We saw it last year, when Keith Richards minced few words in telling hip-hop and heavy metal just how welcome they were on his lawn (spoiler: they were not at all welcome). And who could forget Eagles frontman-drummer Don Henley finally letting us all know what he really thinks of Frank Ocean (spoiler: it can be summarised as ‘talentless prick’).
Not to be forgotten as one of the pillars of the music community and somebody whose opinion we clearly need to listen to with rapt attention and take nothing but seriously because of his exploits in a now five decade long merchandise flog classic rock act KISS, bassist and frontman Gene Simmons has made a prediction today bolder and with more hard evidence to back it up than the Mayan Doomsday theory.
I don’t know how to tell you this, but rap music is… going to die.
Yes, we know this is some difficult news to hear and understand but it wasn’t any easier for Gene Simmons to deliver this cold blow than it was for us to have to hear it.
Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Destroyer (one of the two or three KISS albums that wasn’t completely abominable from a back catalogue of 20), Simmons used his platform in an interview with Rolling Stone to lob down truth bombs about the barren wasteland that is contemporary music from the towering pinnacle of Mount Dad-Rock.
Although Dr. Simmons was unable to give an exact prognosis, stating rap would die anywhere from ‘next year, 10 years from now, at some point’, he did admit that he was very much looking forward to it.
This man doesn’t like rap? This same man right here? Well, I am… shocked.
Other gems of wisdom from someone whose tongue is probably longer than the time he’s spent actually listening to any music that isn’t his own include:
- Apart from the Foo Fighters, Gene thinks everyone else in rock and roll is as dead as rap is about to be, citing the unequivocal and completely objective statistic that ‘there ain’t no new bands’. Which is as grammatically correct as it is illuminating.
- Lady Gaga should just drop ‘all the disco and the pole dancing and all that stuff and put together a rock band, that would be legitimate’. So your transcendent, award-winning, game-changing pop music is nice and all Lady Gaga, but don’t for a second try and tell Gene that what you do is legitimate because guitars.
- Gene has also cottoned on to the rest of those lying disco divas too. Don’t get him wrong, he loves ‘Jennifer Lopez and Ciara and Shakira and Madonna and all the girls with names that end in ‘a,’ they’re very talented in their own way’. He just doesn’t love that they have a backing track onstage, because that’s just not honest at all. ‘Karaoke is more honest, because you know it’s karaoke’, Gene said as he tipped his fedora and drove the truth home beyond doubt.
- Perhaps all these girls whose names end in ‘a’ should take a leaf out of EDM’s ‘honest’ book. And by ‘honest’, Gene means that ‘Here’s a guy onstage who does fuck-all, he does nothing. He presses a button and puts his hands up in the air. He doesn’t pretend to be lip-syncing to a track. He has a light show and it’s an honest relationship’. So, I guess take that as a compliment EDM. And maybe take some time out from being busy doing fuck all to work on your light show. Shits is uninspired right now.
These remarks are just the latest in Gene Simmons’ noble ongoing crusade against pop and rap and anything that doesn’t use enormous guitars or fire onstage. He once famously said that Grandmaster Flash and Run-D.M.C. didn’t belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame next to him for this exact reason, a culturally ignorant statement at best and a low-key racist one at worst.
He did attempt to justify his dislike of rap music, saying that “I don’t have the cultural background to appreciate being a gangster,” which is, you know, also an almost offensively misguided thing to say but is something people will mostly forget given his age and the fact that we’ve simply become numbly accustomed to Gene Simmons being a self-important prick.
He also showed further humility when he said that no bands from New York City have ever got up on KISS’ stadium-playin’ level. Yes he loves the Ramones and the New York Dolls but they never played stadiums or had gold records until after they died and you must realise that this is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of making good music and so everything else is irrelevant. Should we really fact-check Gene’s ‘no other New York City bands have ever play stadiums’ claim? Because-
‘A-
-Fucking-
-HEM!
Of course the rest of the world is laughing heartily at Gene’s salty old man routine. Even if I don’t particularly like pop music, I would never have the audacity to suggest that it’s not a legitimate artform simply because it doesn’t always incorporate the big, dumb, loud and live elements that KISS made a living on. Plus, a man who has spent five decades painting his face and wasting God only knows how much money on some of the most outlandishly tacky stageshow fantasies you’ve ever laid eyes upon and the man behind the reality tv clusterfuck Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels, has really no business questioning another performer’s honesty.
As for rap music, the genre has never been bigger and more popular and with a brighter crop of young talent behind it. Years from now there will be far more people talking about what someone like Kendrick Lamar did for not just hip-hop but music in general than there will be talking about how a crazy old fart named Gene Simmons used to spit blood in platform boots rocking out to neanderthal anthems onstage and then talk a lot of shit off of it.
The Demon could be so much cooler if he just acted like a rockstar instead of everybody’s grandfather.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6IAQUsmbfM
Gif: Giphy
Images: Radio.com, YouTube, Pop Matters, The Rock Corner
Sometimes giving a great performance can come with a price.
Florence Welch of Florence and The Machine caused some grief when she jumped off the stage and broke her foot during her Coachella performance this week. Don’t worry, she’ll still be going on tour, but there will just be a few changes.
“Unfortunately while this heals, my performances will have to be somewhat stripped back. I’m so sorry, I’m pretty devastated, but I still want to do the shows. I understand this is not what you were expecting, but I hope it’s just as enjoyable. I’m going to try and make it super special for you,” she said in a Facebook post.
You may be surprised to know that performing onstage is just as dangerous as playing a competitive sport. Musicians have had their fair share of broken bones, among other injuries.
Let’s take a look at some of the worst:
Killer Mike busted his shoulder during an on-stage attack
Remember last month when Run The Jewels were attacked mid-performance at SXSW? Later on in the week, while they were performing at Stubbs’ BBQ, we discovered that one half of the duo Killer Mike had torn his rotator cuff. His doctor recommended he wear a sling, but Mike refused. Nothing was going to stop him from giving his fans what they deserve; the best performance possible.
Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic knocked himself in the head with his bass
During their performance of Lithium at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, Nirvana’s bassist Krist Novoselic attempted to execute his signature move of throwing his bass in the air and catching it. He managed to do the first part of the trick. Unfortunately, he missed and he fell to the ground before running off stage. I don’t know what would hurt more; the injury or the fact that it is now online to be forever shared on the Internet.
Outkast’s Big Boi injuried his knee
Here’s another one that was caught on video. Back in 2013, Outkast’s Big Boi found himself on crutches following a performance where he had a bad landing after jumping during a performance. His serious injury called for testing to find the problem and had to cancel some of the shows in his Shoes For Running tour.
Patti Smith fell and broke her neck
I think this one makes me cringe the most. Poor Patti Smith had to go through physical therapy after she fell 15 feet into the orchestra pit during a 1977 performance. She’s very lucky to have survived, however, suffered several broken vertebrae in her neck. Ouch!
Gene Simmons set his hair on fire – multiple times
It seems that some people don’t always learn from their mistakes. Gene Simmons has had his fair share of disasters when performing his fire-breathing routine. Not a good idea with hair extension. Simmons says his hair has caught on hair many times while performing. Here’s one from a 1973 concert. Luckily, a roadie quickly put it out with a blanket.