Angela Bassett inducts Tina Turner onstage during the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Oct. 30, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.Michael Loccisano\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
LL Cool J got together some of his heavyweight musical friends to usher him into rock immortality.<\/p>\n
Part of an eclectic 2021 class that includes Carole King, Tina Turner, The Go-Gos, Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and Todd Rundgren, Cool J was joined on stage by rapper Eminem and Jennifer Lopez for a powerful performance on Saturday night during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.<\/p>\n
With New York street style and swagger, Cool J was one of hip-hops first superstars in the 1980s and remains a relevant artist more than 40 years later.<\/p>\n
Brad Wheeler: Guess Who wont make it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame<\/p>\n
What does LL really stand for? asked rapper\/produced Dr. Dre at the opening of his induction speech for his good friend. Ladies love? Living large? Licking lips? Im here because I think it stands for living legend.<\/p>\n
Cool J then did a medley of his hits, including Rock The Bells accompanied by a bearded Eminem before he was joined by J-Lo for All I Have. Cool J wrapped up his blistering performance with one of his biggest hits Mama Said Knock You Out.<\/p>\n
After the final note, Cool J pointed to a photo of his mother behind the stage and said, Mom, I made it.<\/p>\n
He was enshrined for musical excellence along with keyboardist Billy Preston and guitarist Randy Rhoads.<\/p>\n
Electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, singer-poet Gil Scott-Heron and Delta blues legend Charley Patton are being inducted as early influencers and Sussex Records founder Clarence Avant is receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award.<\/p>\n
Superstar Taylor Swift opened the show by performing one of Kings best-known songs, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, which appeared on Tapestry her seminal 1971 album. It became a soundtrack for a generation and has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.<\/p>\n
Swift gave a moving, heartfelt induction speech for one of her musical idols.<\/p>\n
Taylor Swift performs during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Cleveland. Swift paid a tribute to Carole King, calling her the greatest songwriter of all time.David Richard\/The Associated Press<\/p>\n
I cant remember a time when I didnt know Carole Kings music, Swift said, saying her parents taught her several important lessons as a child with one of the most important being that Carole King is the greatest songwriter of all time.<\/p>\n
King thanked Swift for carrying the torch forward. She concluded her remarks by noting other female singers and songwriters have said they stand on her shoulders.<\/p>\n
Let it not be forgotten, King said. They also stand on the shoulders of the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. May she rest in power, Miss Aretha Franklin.<\/p>\n
King then introduced Jennifer Hudson, who did a powerhouse performance of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman before King sang You Got A Friend.<\/p>\n
The 81-year-old Turner, who found her greatest success when she left abusive husband Ike Turner, lives in Switzerland and did not attend the ceremony.<\/p>\n
If theyre still giving me awards at 81, Turner said in a video message. I must have done something right.<\/p>\n
She was inducted by actress Angela Bassett, who played the magnetic singer and tour de force stage entertainer in the 1993 biopic Whats Love Got To Do With It.<\/p>\n
Bassett called it one of the most demanding roles Ive ever played and one of the most fulfilling. Like Tina, I was a little black girl who had dreams far beyond what the world expected of me.<\/p>\n
Keith Urban and H.E.R. then performed Turners Its Only Love a duet Turner did with Bryan Adams before Mickey Guyton sang Whats Love Got To Do With It and Christina Aguilera belted River Deep, Mountain High one of Turners first hits.<\/p>\n
This years ceremony was held for the first time at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the 20,000-seat home of the NBAs Cleveland Cavaliers and a venue familiar to Jay-Z and Foo Fighters, who have played shows in the arena before.<\/p>\n
It was a return to normalcy for the event, which was forced to go virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Artists are not eligible for induction until 25 years after release of their first recording. There are lively debates every year over omissions, and as Public Enemys Chuck D noted during a plague induction ceremony on Friday at the hall, patience is sometimes another requirement for entrance.<\/p>\n
It aint no overnight thing, he said. You cant stumble into this place.<\/p>\n
That was certainly the case for King, who had been eligible for enshrinement as a solo artist since 1986. She went in previously as a songwriter with Gerry Goffin, her late husband, in 1990.<\/p>\n
It was also a long wait for Cool J, who had been nominated six times.<\/p>\n
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Rock Hall 2021: LL Cool J, Carole King, Tina Turner ushered into rock immortality - The Globe and Mail<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Angela Bassett inducts Tina Turner onstage during the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Oct. 30, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.Michael Loccisano\/Getty Images LL Cool J got together some of his heavyweight musical friends to usher him into rock immortality Continue reading