With their spoken word Raps and politically charged anthems, The Last Poets were one of the first steps in what would become Hip Hop. Their main focus was raising the awareness of African Americans and challenging the status quo. As one of the first proto Rap artists of note they have a better shot than you would think. We have to wonder though if the Last Poets are completely happy with the state of Rap Music today.

The Bullet Points:

Eligible Since:

1995

Country of Origin:

U.S.A. (New York City)

Nominated In:

Never

NIHOF’s Favorite Album:

This is Madness (1971)

NIHOF’s Favorite Song:

The world of Progressive Rock brought forth many successful bands. Gentle Giant did have a devoted group of fans, a wide array of technical skills but for whatever reason never reached the commercial success of bands like Genesis, Yes or ELP. For years they always seemed on the cusp of a breakout and although that didn’t happen, many in Progressive Rock circles have always applauded Gentle Giant for their experimentation and skills. Of course, commercially successful Progressive Rock bands are struggling to crack the Hall, so the chances of Gentle Giant are far from gigantic at all.

Much like the Gang of Four, Orange Juice melded Post Punk with Disco rhythms. The band was dubbed the leaders of the Scottish independent Pop uprising and their complex melodies were catchy. As a Post Punk band, they didn’t really sing of angst and anger but of love and romance. Without that aggression, their sophisticated Pop sound struggled to find an audience though it did help launch a series of successful imitators.

One of the more successful Southern Rock Bands in music history, the Marshall Tucker Band was consistently successful throughout the 70’s and early 80’s and still enjoy a healthy following today. The South Carolina based band flirted a little more with Jazz and pure Country influences than some of the other Rock bands and as a pure “jam” type band, they had little peers. The Rock and Roll Hall does not have a large amount of Southern Rock bands in the Hall and the Marshall Tucker Band has a potential shot to be the next should another of that genre be looked at.