What’s occurring, riff-heads? It’s that time of year again when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opens its hallowed doors, dusts off the plaques, and lets a fresh gang of legends into the club. Every year it’s the same cocktail of joy, rage, and “HOW did they not induct insert your fave here?!” – and 2025 is no different.

This year’s class is one of the wildest line-ups the Hall has ever cobbled together. We’ve got grunge gods, a pop rebel queen, a hip-hop revolution, a garage racket, a soul screamer, and even the bloke who made your nan twist herself into a new hip replacement in the ‘60s. Only in rock ’n’ roll, mun.

So grab a pint, crank up “Black Hole Sun” and “Hey Ya!”, and let’s deep-dive this year’s inductees.

🎤 Performer Category – The Big Seven

Bad Company – The Classic Rock Road Warriors 🚚🎸

At long last, Bad Company finally roll into the Hall of Fame. These lads, formed in 1973 out of the ashes of Free, Mott the Hoople, and King Crimson, were basically the blueprint for arena rock. With Paul Rodgers’ golden pipes and Mick Ralphs’ swaggering riffs, tracks like “Can’t Get Enough” and “Feel Like Makin’ Love” became pub jukebox staples and festival field anthems.

They’ve been eligible for yonks, but somehow overlooked. Now, in 2025, they finally get the nod. It’s lush to see them alongside their contemporaries like Led Zep and The Who, where they’ve always belonged. As Rodgers once sang: “Ready for love, oh baby, I’m ready for you.” Well, Hall of Fame, about bloody time you were ready for Bad Company.

Chubby Checker – The Twist That Shook The World 🕺

Chubby Checker, mun! At 83 years old, the man who made the world twist its hips like never before is finally in. First nomination, first induction – that’s what you call twisting fate.

Checker’s 1960 smash “The Twist” wasn’t just a song, it was a cultural earthquake. Suddenly everyone from teenagers to your gran was busting moves in living rooms, ballrooms, and bingo halls. Without him, half of rock’s obsession with dance crazes and pop hooks wouldn’t exist.

Seeing him inducted is lush – like your taid finally getting knighted after decades of spinning tales at the pub.

Joe Cocker – The Soulful Screamer 🐓🎤

Sheffield’s own Joe Cocker finally gets immortalised. With that gravel-soaked voice, flailing arm spasms, and heart-wrenching delivery, Cocker turned covers into ownership. His take on The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” at Woodstock? Pure spine-tingling.

The man embodied rock ’n’ roll’s grit and soul – a working-class lad who belted from the gut. Posthumous, yes, but deeply deserved. Pour one out, mun, and crank “You Are So Beautiful”.

Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time, She’s Finally In 💅🎶

Cyndi Lauper has been the glaring omission for years. This is the woman who gave us “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” “True Colors,” and a legacy of defiant, colourful, playful rebellion.

She wasn’t just pop – she was punk at heart, refusing to fit the mould. Lauper was MTV royalty, fashion anarchist, LGBTQ+ ally, and all-around legend. Her induction is proof that pop can rock just as hard as guitars.

And honestly, butt – Time After Time, the Hall ignored her. Finally, justice.

Outkast – Hey Ya! Hip-Hop Crashes the Hall 🎤🔥

This is where the Hall shows it’s finally growing up. Outkast aren’t just rappers – they’re musical visionaries who bent genres into a new shape. “Hey Ya!” was as much Beatles as it was boom-bap. “Ms. Jackson”? A heartbreak anthem that made your mam forgive you for sneaking cider.

André 3000 and Big Boi redefined hip-hop, southern style, and made it global. Their induction is huge – bridging the supposed gap between rock and rap that’s always been more artificial than real.

Shake it like a Polaroid, mun – Outkast are Hall of Famers!

Soundgarden – Grunge Gods Ascend 🌑🎸

Seattle finally gets another of its titans enshrined. Soundgarden, fronted by the incomparable Chris Cornell, were the dark, doomy, riff-heavy side of grunge. “Black Hole Sun,” “Spoonman,” “Fell on Black Days” – these weren’t just songs, they were brooding cathedrals of sound.

Cornell’s voice? A four-octave gift from the gods. Kim Thayil’s riffs? Heavy as a steelworker’s boots in Port Talbot.

Nirvana and Pearl Jam already sit in the Hall. Now Soundgarden joins them, completing the grunge trinity. Proper job.

The White Stripes – Red, White & Garage Rock Peppermint 🍬🥁

Jack and Meg White kicked the door in back in the early 2000s, reminding everyone rock didn’t need a full orchestra – just a beaten-up guitar, a drum kit, and raw energy.

“Seven Nation Army” became the football chant of the century. Their stripped-down garage sound re-ignited rock for a new generation. Critics moaned about Meg’s drumming – sod that. She was the pulse, the heart, the minimalist genius.

Now they’re immortalised. Expect Jack to show up in a red suit and Meg to remain the eternal enigma.

🎶 Musical Influence Award – The Game Changers

  • Salt-N-Pepa – Before Nicki, before Cardi, before all of it, there was Salt-N-Pepa. They pushed hip-hop into the mainstream with sass, empowerment, and rhymes that still bang. “Push It” wasn’t just a tune – it was a movement.
  • Warren Zevon – The cult songwriter’s songwriter. “Werewolves of London” might be his pop hit, but Zevon’s wit, darkness, and sardonic storytelling made him a legend to peers like Springsteen. Finally, the excitable boy gets his due.

🎸 Musical Excellence Award – The Behind-The-Scenes Legends

  • Thom Bell – The architect of Philly soul, penning lush orchestrations for The Spinners, The Delfonics, and The Stylistics.
  • Nicky Hopkins – You might not know the name, but you’ve heard him. Keys for The Stones, The Kinks, The Who. The man was the glue in classic rock.
  • Carol Kaye – Bass goddess of the Wrecking Crew. She played on literally hundreds of classics – from The Beach Boys to Simon & Garfunkel. One of the most recorded musicians in history. Tidy!

🏆 Ahmet Ertegun Award – The Suit With Soul

  • Lenny Waronker – A record exec with taste (rare breed). Signed and nurtured legends, kept artistry alive in an industry that eats its own.

🎉 The Ceremony – All Eyes on L.A.

The big night goes down Saturday, 8 November 2025, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Expect emotional speeches, surprise collabs, and probably Jack White smashing something.

It’ll stream live on Disney+, highlights will hit ABC, and it’ll sit on Hulu after – so whether you’re in Bridgend or Brooklyn, you can tune in.

🤔 The Snubs – AKA The Rage Section

Here’s where we crack open the pint and rant.

  • Phish – Won the fan vote, still ignored. That’s brutal. Imagine queueing for chips at 2am and the fryer breaks.
  • Oasis – No Gallagher brothers this year. Probably for the best – the induction speech would’ve turned into a fistfight.
  • Joy Division / New Order – STILL not in. How, butt? They literally reshaped post-punk and electronic rock.
  • Mariah Carey – Divas get snubbed again. She might not be “rock,” but her impact on pop is undeniable.
  • Billy Idol – White Wedding is practically a wedding hymn. Still outside.
  • The Black Crowes – Bluesy rockers ignored yet again.

Every year the Hall makes someone tamping – this year is no different.

🎶 Why This Class Works

This class is chaotic in the best way. You’ve got:

  • Classic rock (Bad Company)
  • Dance crazes (Chubby Checker)
  • Soul grit (Joe Cocker)
  • Pop rebellion (Cyndi Lauper)
  • Hip-hop innovation (Outkast, Salt-N-Pepa)
  • Grunge darkness (Soundgarden)
  • Garage fury (White Stripes)
  • Songwriter wit (Warren Zevon)
  • Unsung studio heroes (Hopkins, Kaye, Bell)

It’s messy, eclectic, genre-bending – which is exactly what rock ’n’ roll is.

🎤 What to Expect – Performances & Chaos

Imagine this:

  • Jack White jamming with Kim Thayil.
  • Outkast and Salt-N-Pepa turning the Hall into a hip-hop party.
  • Paul Rodgers belting Bad Company classics with every singer in the room harmonising.
  • A tribute to Cornell that’ll reduce us all to tears.

This ceremony could be one for the ages.

Final Riffs 🤘

The Rock Hall is far from perfect – it’s political, messy, and full of snubs. But when it gets it right, it immortalises legends who’ve shaped our lives.

2025’s class is a wild ride, and honestly? It slaps. Outkast shaking hands with Chubby Checker across generations. Soundgarden’s heavy riffs next to Cyndi Lauper’s technicolour pop. Warren Zevon’s werewolves finally howling at the Hall.

So on 8 November, pour a pint, shout “YESS MUN!” at the telly, and celebrate. Rock ’n’ roll never dies – it just finds new ways to twist, scream, and dance.

👉 What do you think, butt? Did the Hall nail it or leave your favourites out in the rain again? Drop your rants in the comments – we’ll be in the front row with pints raised. 🍻🔥