Wu-Tang Clan have officially been voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2026 inductees were unveiled on Monday (April 13), with Sade, Luther Vandross, Oasis, Iron Maiden, Phil Collins, Billy Idol and Joy Division/New Order also getting the nod.
Fellow rap icons Queen Latifah and MC Lyte will also be joining them in the Hall of Fame as recipients of the “Early Influence” award, which recognizes their status as pioneers in music and culture.
Wu-Tang and co. will be formally inducted on November 14 at a ceremony held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, which will be available to watch in December on ABC and Disney+.
“In all Humility. This announcement filled me with joy, proudness, profound achievement, and awe,” RZA wrote on Instagram in reaction to the news. “I’m grateful to all my brothers and those who helped us on the path. Thank you Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is a true Triumph – Wutang Forever.”
Raekwon added: “History books will know this club! this my grammy. what we talking bout! haaaaaaaaaaa. shout out to all our mothers who birth these men. they won tonite,” while GZA said: “We couldn’t have reached this milestone without our hip hop predecessors, fans, collaborators, friends and family. We thank you.”
Lauryn Hill, Mariah Carey and Shakira were among those also nominated this year but did not receive enough votes from the international voting body of more than 1,200 inductees, historians and music industry professionals.
With the addition of Wu-Tang Clan, Queen Latifah and MC Lyte, there are now 18 hip-hop acts in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first through the door in 2007, followed by Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and N.W.A in subsequent years.
JAY-Z, Eminem, 2Pac, Biggie, OutKast, Missy Elliott and A Tribe Called Quest are also inductees, while LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Kool Herc have been recognized as either an Early Influence or a Musical Excellence Award honoree.
Congrats to the Clan, even though they aren’t very welcomed there, they deserve the recognition of being one of the best hip hop groups ever!
Hip hop not rock n roll. It makes no sense honestly there should be a separate hall of fame there should not be hip hop artists in the rock hall of fame unless they made songs for the genre
Eat a bag of AIDs infected dicks. What’s next…you think they should bring back segregation and slavery too?
What?! Calm your homo ass down go eat your own bag. No one said that. Earth Wind And Fire is rock they fit, Jimmy Hendrix fits he is rock but hip hop is another genre go get educated! Retard.
Prince as well and I’d argue Andre 3000 was more qualified than Wu Tang
Are you stupid? Go get a rope and hang if you want to behave like that. Rock and hip hop are seperate genres Wu Tang was not rock or a crossover of the 2 genres. If a hip hop group did not do rock they should not be inducted. Even worse older bands are not inducted who are rock artists.
Are you stupid. It’s called the “rock and roll” hall of fame, hip hop is not rock and roll. By yojr stupid logic baseball players should be inducted into a basketball hall of fame. Bet you probably think men are women with the way you talk you seem to like dicks
Andy shut up. James Brown is rock, Wu Tang is not.
Slavery should be brought back under Sharia Law then you wouldn’t be acting like this.
Hey I don’t have a problem with that hip hop artists and fans should get together and create something for honoring hip hop artists.
It started with Run DMC, they made records that had rock inspired sounds as well as beastie boyz, even Ice T. But hell if they don’t want hiphop there, I want to be there either…
The Aerosmith collab with Run DMC. Honestly I debate if Eminem should be there too and same way many debate his place in rap given his fanbase and being played more on rock stations now pop stations. Rappers that have rock crossover are fine but there are many bands before them not honored which is the issue. Lil Wayne rock influenced and he opened doors again for artists, XXX huge rock influence, Trippie Redd another, and Don Toliver borders on it too.
Lil Uzi and Playboi Carti too. Once again they fit they have a rock influence unlike Wu Tang, NWA, Eminem, and other names in this.
They weirdly sccept hip hop artists but have issues with other rock bands. Iron Maiden took this long to be inducted. People in their genre they skip but hip hop id being inducted something from another genre it makes no sense.
I’m on a flip side though, why are Sade, Luther Vandross, etc in there also? There should be an R&B HOF as well!
Exactly. Also apparently metal bands are not inducted theres a weird dislike towards them from the people in charge despite being rock bands.
Sade borders on rock.
Indeed!
But not here. Run DMC made sone sense even Public Enemy but things like this, Dre, Eminem, NWA, it doesn’t make any sense. Other bands in the genre aren’t even in there but hip hop groups are it doesn’t make sense. Vice versa for hip hop the rock artists wouldn’t be accepted it’s just common sense it’s to honor people in said genre.
About time
They are a hip hop group not a rock group. Its called rock and roll hall of fame.
Screw that. Drake, Diddy, and Ye deserve to be in the HOF more.
What? Ye is King and has borderline done some rock like songs the others no. Take your rage bait somewhere else with your 40 year nothing life.
What is the name of that one wu tang clan album which there is only one person in the world who has a xopy…..????? Congratulations
Lil Wayne makes more sense being inducted over them he actually made rock music same with XXX or every metal band that got ignored
that’s because nobody likes metal because it’s not good
A ton of people like metal what are you talking about. Jimmy Hendrix was a heavy metal guitarist and Metallica is a major band.
Metal became huge in the 80’s so whst are you talking about?
Pantera should have been inducted, Anthem is super influential also not inducted, Anthrax, Motorhead, and many others.
They get in but it took thid long for Phil Collins and Iron Maiden? That makes no sense. Actual rock artists are snubbed but hip hop artists make it in no issue? That whole “hall of fame” needs to be audited it’s not genuine it makes no sense and does not represent the genre not respecting actual pioneers of the genre.
Wu Tang should not be here they are not rock and roll artists. Younger rappers have more crossover with rock not these guys or others that have been inducted the last few years.