Acclaimed director Spike Lee and legendary entertainer/activist Harry Belafonte will have the honor of inducting legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next month. The induction ceremony takes place at the Nokia Theater L.A. Live in Los Angeles next month.
Belafonte’s history of activism fits well with P.E.’s reputation for politically-aware music and frontman Chuck D’s outspoken stance on social issues. Lee has worked with the group on the soundtracks to his films Do the Right Thing and He Got Game. Like, Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy is being inducted during their first year of eligibility. The hall requires that an artist become eligible for induction 25 years after their debut. P.E.’s first single was 1987’s “Public Enemy #1” and they were announced as inductees in December of 2012.
Public Enemy becomes the fourth hip-hop act inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five were the first back in 2007, followed by Run-D.M.C. in 2009 and the Beastie Boys in 2012. This year’s inductees include female classic rock icons Heart, quirky singer-songwriter Randy Newman, prog-rock superstars Rush, blues guitar legend Albert King and disco queen Donna Summer.
Other performers expected to take the stage include R&B superstar Usher and singer-songwriter Carole King, who will perform tributes to legendary producers Quincy Jones and Lou Adler, who are receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award this year. 90s guitar heroes Mike McCready of Pearl Jam and Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains will take the stage with Heart, with Jackson Browne and John Fogerty set to pay tribute to Newman.
This will be the first year in some time that all living inductees will take the stage to perform.
The ceremony is set to air on HBO on May 18th.
