Gene Simmons is under fire after doubling down on his stance that hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Kiss bassist, 76, shared his long-standing view on a recent episode of podcast Legends N Leaders, saying, “It's not my music. I don't come from the ghetto. It doesn't speak my language.” He added that he has shared his opinion on the matter several times and said, “hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nor does opera or symphony orchestras.”
The rock star has been vocal about his distaste for hip-hop and rap throughout recent years, which has raised accusations that Simmons’ remarks are racist due to both genres being rooted in Black culture. His most recent comments have fueled online criticism even further.
“’I don’t come from the ghetto’ is the craziest way to say ‘I’m racist,’” one person wrote on X in response to Simmons’ comments. Another said that Simmons is just an “old man yelling at clouds for the millionth time.”
“It was racist and he knows it,” a third said about his remarks. “Ghetto is only used one way in 2026.”
Another agreed, writing on X, “The Ghetto Comment is straight up RACISM!”
On the podcast episode released February 7, Simmons lamented that Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin are not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but Grandmaster Flash is. He said he had a “back and forth” about the issue with rapper Ice Cube, who argued that the honor is meant for acts whose music is in “the spirit of rock.”
“Music has labels because it describes an approach,” he said. “By and large, rap, hip-hop is a spoken-word art. You put beats in back of it and somebody comes up with a musical phrase, but it's verbal.”
He continued, “There are some melodies, but by and large it's a verbal thing—it's rhyming and all that. And I know Eminem can [rap quickly]. I wish him more success. I really don't give a f***. It just doesn't speak to me. With the genius of being able to put words and music and arrange it, it's much more complex.”
Kiss was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with a ceremony in 2014 honoring the original lineup of Simmons, late drummer Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss. The band canceled their performance at the ceremony because they fought over which members would play.
Neither Simmons nor the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame immediately returned The Independent’s request for comment.
