If Wu-Tang Clan mastermind RZA has his way, our first hip-hop president will induct the group into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the leader of the pioneering collective named Barack Obama as the person he would most like to bestow the honor upon Wu-Tang later this year.
“I’m doing one that’s going to be super egotistical, but probably the only person that I’m a superfan of that I never met: Barack Obama,” RZA told the magazine.
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He continued with a few other interesting choices: “I always remember [Quentin] Tarantino saying he was a ‘rock & roll director.’ Tarantino is a great name. I think Leonardo DiCaprio. I’m gonna give you one more. How about LeBron James as a unique piece of culture?”
Finally, RZA inquired whether Rage Against the Machine were already in the Rock Hall before making a fun suggestion. “What if Rage fuckin’ inducted us? If they would come back out and say, ‘I want to welcome my brothers back into it.’ Fuckin’ one day, do one concert to close that book. One night only. That would be crazy.”
RZA already has close ties with Tarantino from scoring the Kill Bill films, and Wu-Tang Clan toured with Rage Against the Machine in 1997, making both of them logical suggestions.
However, Obama’s open embrace of hip-hop during his time in the Oval Office makes him the no-brainer choice, even as his biggest haters concede his presence is missed.
As for whether Wu-Tang will try to break the E Street Band’s record for the longest speech, RZA speculated that the Rock Hall and the group itself will likely try to keep it short.
“Some of us could talk. Some of us don’t talk,” he stated. “I talk and it’s done through the lyrics. So they’ll probably nominate one of us. We’ll probably have a conversation like, ‘Who wants to talk? Let’s regulate this.'”
Other members of the Rock Hall’s class of 2026 include Oasis, Phil Collins, Joy Division/New Order, Sade, Iron Maiden, Billy Idol, and Luther Vandross. Fela Kuti, Gram Parsons, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte, and Celia Cruz will also be inducted into the Early Influence category, while Rick Rubin, Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, and Jimmy Miller will be enshrined in the Music Excellence category.
This year’s induction ceremony is set for November 14th in Los Angeles and will air on ABC and Disney+ in December.
In the meantime, Wu-Tang Clan will resume their purported final tour in May, trekking across North America with special guests Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Tickets can be purchased here.
