3 Major Takeaways from the 2023 Rock Hall Induction Class

The 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction class was announced this morning (May 3.) As is tradition every year, the list of inductees has already led to a lot of discourse on social media.

To put it bluntly and succinctly: A lot of people are excited about this class, and a seemingly equal amount of people are furious about it. Much like death and taxes, controversy around the Rock Hall is always a certainty.

Without further ado, here are three major takeaways from the 2023 Rock Hall induction class. Enjoy...or, as is part of the tradition, feel free to be furious.

As has been reported by myself and countless other outlets, the Rock Hall's representation of women artists -- regardless of their genre -- is immensely disappointing. The percentage of women artists that make up the overall pool of artists in the Rock Hall is currently hovering within the range of 8 percent, give or take a few decimal places. Simply put, that's just appalling.

That being said, the women being honored by the Rock Hall in 2023 are magnificent editions. Chaka Khan finally being recognized after being nominated many times with Rufus is fantastic to see. The Kate Bush renaissance continues with her induction. Sheryl Crow was a surprising, but welcome addition to the 2023 class. She's a singer-songwriter that, in the eyes of this author, has never really gotten the respect she deserves. Missy Elliott's inclusion in the 2023 class is historic. She is now the first female MC to be inducted. Hopefully, this will open the door to the likes of Salt N Pepa and Queen Latifah.

Of course, it was disappointing to see Cyndi Lauper and Meg White (The White Stripes) not get the nod. However, I'm hopeful both will eventually be inducted.

By far, two of the biggest complaints against the Rock Hall have been the aforementioned lack of women artists and its lack of metal representation. To date, the only metal artists to be recognized by the Rock Hall have been Metallica, Black Sabbath, Randy Rhoads and Judas Priest.

I really thought this was going to be Iron Maiden's year to get in, and I'm really disappointed they didn't. I think the overall Rock Hall institution still needs to reexamine their voting body and add more people that better represent all genres of rock and beyond. (By the way, as a female metal fan with a diverse taste in music overall, I'd be an outstanding edition to the voting body. Wink-wink.)

There are multiple people who should've been inducted years ago. An outlaw like Willie Nelson is one of them, especially since a contemporary like Johnny Cash has been in since 1992. Link Wray has been a massive influence on guitarists for decades. Al Kooper's session work and producer credits are insane and will make your head spin. Bernie Taupin should've been inducted with Elton John back in 1994. The late Don Cornelius made a massive impact on the culture thanks to Soul Train. 

Seriously, how has it taken this long for some of these figures to get their due?!