Jay-Z has officially been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, during ceremony held Saturday, Oct. 30 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Before the induction, former President Barack Obama headlined a star-studded video tribute to the legendary rapper. “I can relate to Jay-Z, because we are both married to women more popular than us,” quipped Obama.
Also making appearances in the video were Beyoncé, DJ Khaled, Sean Combs, Usher, Rihanna, Pharrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Ed Sheeran, Chris Rock, Trevor Noah, Lin-Manuel Miranda, H.E.R., LeBron James, Common and John Legend, reported Variety.
Following the video, reported Rolling Stone, Dave Chappelle inducted Jay-Z
“I would like to apologize… I’m just f**king with you,” Chappelle joked, referencing his recent Netflix controversy.
“This is an incredible honour to induct this next man into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But I need everybody in rock ‘n’ roll to know that even though we are honouring him, he is ours. He is hip-hop. Forever and ever and a day.”
JAY-Z induction continued with Dave Chappelle pic.twitter.com/07fVgKoBR8
— Dr. Bryan McGeary (@BMcgeary) October 31, 2021
During his speech, Chappelle shared an anecdote about posing for a photo with Jay-Z and wife, Beyoncé. “Jay says to me, ‘You must have a lot of pressure on you to say funny s**t all the time,’” Chappelle recalled. “And I looked at Jay and said, ‘Well, you must have a lot of pressure on you to say cool s**t all the time.’ And Jay looked at me and said, ‘It ain’t no pressure. I just do it.’ I looked at Jay and said, ‘My God, man — you just did it again!’”
Chappelle concluded telling Jay-Z, “I’m honoured that I got a chance to know you. You embody Black excellence, how great we can be.”
An emotional Jay-Z then took to the stage, holding back tears as he jokingly chided Chappelle. “Y’all trying to make me cry in front of all these white people!” he quipped.
JAY-Z accepts his induction pic.twitter.com/lT7MDrLvFa
— Dr. Bryan McGeary (@BMcgeary) October 31, 2021
After paying tribute to such rap pioneers as Rakim, Big Daddy Kane and fellow inductee LL Cool J, he recalled being “told that hip-hop was a fad,” and offered thanks to everyone who helped him on his way.
He concluded by recalling the campaigning for Obama’s successful presidential campaign. “That showed me the power of hip-hop, the power of these heroes who let me know that these things are possible,” he said. “Hopefully I’m informing the next generation that anything is possible.”
