By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — R&B and Hip-Hop stars were among the inductees over the weekend at the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony that was held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Chaka Khan, The Spinners and Missy Elliott were among the new inductees. Elliott becomes the first woman Hip-Hop artist to be voted into the Hall, and Queen Latifah inducted her. “Nothing sounded the same after Missy came onto the scene,” Latifah said in her speech. “Everything changed — the bass lines changed, the pockets changed, the cadence, the writing. And that’s because Missy has always been a futurist, someone who’s always looking ahead.” Khan, famous both as a solo artist and for her tenure with Rufus, was inducted by singer Jasmine Sullivan. During the ceremony, she performed hits “Ain’t Nobody” with H.E.R., “I Feel for You” with Common, “Sweet Thing” and “I’m Every Woman” with Sia. Others inducted included Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, George Michael. Al Kooper and Rage Against The Machine. Crow opened the show by performing her 1996 hit “If It Makes You Happy” with Olivia Rodrigo.“It was an honor to join Sheryl on stage, and I am so excited for her to be inducted into the RRHOF!” Rodrigo later shared in a statement with PEOPLE. “I am a massive fan of hers and her incredible songwriting,” she continued. “She’s equally as kind as she is talented and I feel so lucky that I was able to be part of celebrating such a legend.”
Crow was then inducted by friend Laura Dern and was later also joined on stage by fellow inductee Willie Nelson, 90, and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks and Peter Frampton for performances “It doesn’t get any better than that. They both kept coming around and kissing me!” Frampton told the Associated Press of sharing the stage with Nicks and Crow following the ceremony. “To have them both up there, it’s quite amazing. And Sheryl brought me here, and for that I can’t thank her enough.”
Elton John also made an appearance as he performed with Crow, Chris Stapleton and Brittany Howard for the memoriam portion of the show. According to Pitchfork, among the late stars honored in the tribute were Tina Turner, Sinéad O’Connor, Jimmy Buffett, David Crosby and Harry Belafonte. John also paid tribute to longtime friend and collaborator Bernie Taupin, who was inducted during the Friday event.
Nelson performed several times during the night, including with Stapleton and fellow inductee Crow, and was inducted by Dave Matthews.
“George Michael Entertainment, the estate, and George’s family are deeply grateful to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and to everybody who voted to induct George Michael this year,” read a statement from Michael’s estate. “It is a huge honor for one of the world’s greatest artists, songwriters, and producers.”
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