The Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame introduced its 2025 class, with Outkast, Chubby Checker and Salt-N-Pepa among the many celebrated inductees—a trio of Black music innovators whose legacies proceed to impression throughout genres and generations.
Outkast’s induction marks one other milestone for Southern hip-hop. Thirty years after breaking onto the nationwide stage with their 1994 debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, André 3000 and Large Boi are actually honored among the many all-time greats. Their genre-bending method, mixing funk, soul and sharp lyricism with boundary-pushing aesthetics, endlessly shifted hip-hop’s heart of gravity and set a blueprint for artistic freedom that artists proceed to chase.
Additionally receiving long-overdue recognition is Chubby Checker, whose infectious 1960 hit “The Twist” turned a popular culture earthquake. Checker not solely popularized a dance craze that outlined an period but additionally expanded the probabilities for a way music might dwell past the file participant and into the collective motion of a technology. His induction is a corrective to a longstanding omission; though eligible because the Corridor’s founding class in 1986, Checker was by some means neglected till now—a reminder that the roots of rock’s crossover success had been planted firmly in Black artistry.
Salt-N-Pepa, the trailblazing rap duo who helped break down the door for ladies in hip-hop, have been chosen underneath the Musical Affect Award. With hits like “Push It,” “Shoop,” and “Whatta Man,” Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton rewrote the principles for a way girls might command house within the style, delivering empowerment anthems that stay cultural touchstones. Their entry into the Corridor spotlights not simply their historic chart success however the indelible impression they made on each music and illustration.
Different inductees this 12 months embody Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Soundgarden, Dangerous Firm, and the White Stripes; whereas producer Thom Bell, pianist Nicky Hopkins, and bassist Carol Kaye will obtain Musical Excellence Awards. Warner Bros. Data government Lenny Waronker is that this 12 months’s recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Although names like Mariah Carey, Phish, and Oasis didn’t make the ultimate minimize—regardless of huge fan assist—this 12 months’s class underscores the Corridor’s effort to honor innovators who modified the soundscape of in style music. It’s a strong reminder that the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll has all the time been fueled by a deep nicely of Black creativity.
The 2025 Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame induction ceremony will happen on November 8 on the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The present will stream dwell on Disney+, with a next-day launch on Hulu, adopted by a condensed prime-time particular on ABC.