“I just wanna know when Led Zeppelin's gonna be in the Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame. 'Oh, you can't do that?' Oh, really?”: Gene Simmons mouths off on The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the lack of talent required to make EDM and the state of modern music

Gene Simmons attends the 25th Annual Los Angeles Operation Smile Fiesta at Candela La Brea on June 03, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Gene Simmons has never been short of opinions, and he unleashed a few more during a recent appearance on the Legends N’ Leaders podcast. Subjects covered included the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, hip-hop, house music and more.

He started off by decrying the fact that Iron Maiden have not (yet) been inducted into the Hall Of Fame and Grandmaster Flash has. “Ice Cube and I had a back-and-forth (on this subject], and he's a bright guy and I respect what he's done," he began. "It's not my music. I don't come from the ghetto. It doesn't speak my language. And I said in print many times, hip-hop does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame - nor does opera, symphony orchestras.