Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest Leads Rock Hall Inductees
Hip-hop and R&B were out in full force at last night’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony The event took place at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Mary J. Blige and A Tribe Called Quest were among the inductees, along with Kool & the Gang. Dionne Warwick got the Award for Musical Excellence.
Dr. Dre and Method Man were on hand together to honor Mary J. Blige. “Mary J. Blige created an entirely new form of music,” Dre said, referring to her title as “The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul.” “You don’t just listen to a Mary J. Blige album; you feel that s— in your soul. When you listen to Mary, you’re reminded you’re not alone in heartache.”
Meth added, “Dre and I are here tonight to decalre it, Mary J. Blige is indeed the queen of hip-hop soul. When Mary walks in the room, you know you’re in the presence of royalty. When she sings, you know what it’s like to be seen. I know Mary sang ‘No More Drama,’ but no one sings with more drama.”
Mary J. Blige’s Performance And Speech
Mary took the stage and sang “My Life” and was briefly joined by Lucky Daye, and then sang “Love No Limit” with Ella Mai. She then went into “Be Happy” followed by “Family Affair.”
She then made her speech. She was very emotional and said, “This is a lot.” She thanked her mother for raising her and her sister as a single mother in the projects “Which damn near was a prison.” Tearing up, she said, “To my fans, you helped me heal just like you said I helped you heal.”
She said, “It’s not enough to just be beautiful and talented. Sustaining comes from having humility and how you treat yourself and others. Move with grace, trust the process of your journey. You don’t have to wait until you feel perfect to feel worthy. You are worthy!”
A Tribe Called Quest’s Tribute and Speeches
Dave Chapelle was there to present A Tribe Called Quest. “Hip-hop took what came before it and made it innovative and new,” he said, pointing out that Tribe represented, and led, a new step in hip-hop’s evolution. He noted that their first album had a big hit. He said, “Can I kick it?” The audience yelled “Yes I can!”
He noted that they “Changed the culture. People started dressing better. People started being kinder, because hip-hop was about being thuggish and all this s—. But when Tribe came out, it was a cue for everybody that you could be cool and not necessarily gangster.
He talked about how they helped to form the Native Tongues, which included De La Soul and the Junlge Brothers and Queen Latifah and Monie Love and Black Sheep. “They changed our music and our culture forever.”
Jarobi, Q-Tip, Phife’s parents and Ali Shaeed Muhammad’s sister took the stage. Phife passed away in 2016, and they noted that Ali couldn’t be there, without more explanation. Jarobi took the mic and “Microphone check one, two, what is this?” quoting Phife’s line from “Buggin’ Out.” “Give it up for Phife Dawg! I don’t have any stories, all I have is gratitude.” He gave it up for Phife’s mother and father who accompanied them on stage and he thanked Q-Tip, who was by his side and said he wished Ali Shaheed Muhammad was there. Q-Tip said “This is crazy. I can’t believe… It’s an honor to be here with the fellow inductees.” He noted that they have so many people to thank and that they would post them on Instagram. “Rest in peace to our brother Phife Dawg, I wish you were here.”
He recalled that in 1979, “We heard ‘Rapper’s Delight’ – my best friend was Malik ‘Phife Dawg’ Taylor and We were nine years old. After Malik heard the record, he was like ‘We can do that too!'”
Q-Tip and Jarobi took their seats to watch an all-star tribute to them. DJ Maseo of De La Soul and the Roots then backed a group of rap legends, starting with Queen Latifah, who performed “Can I Kick It?” Posdunos of De La Soul and Black Thought of the Roots then joined for “Check The Vibe.” Common then joined them for “Bonita Applebum.” Busta Rhymes came out for the “Scenario” remix, before going into the original “Scenario,” including his legendary star-making verse.
Other hip-hop and R&B highlights included Chuck D of Public Enemy, who made a poetic speech about Kool and the Gang. The group then performed a medley of their hits, backed by the Roots. Founding member, bassist Robert “Kool” Bell, along with former singer James “J.T.” Taylor, accepted and made speeches.
Teyana Taylor gave a speech about Dionne Warwick. Jennnifer Hudson began singing Ms. Warwick’s “I Know I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” also backed by the Roots, and then was joined by Ms. Warwick herself. Warwick then sang “Walk On By.”
The ceremony aired live on Disney+, and you can watch it on demand. An edited special will air on ABC at a later date, which will be available on Hulu the next day.
