Many a music fan has debated whether Rap music should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This is a debate that is not going to go away anytime soon. As such, we expect that much of the comments here will be about Rap’s credentials to the Hall. For those who do not dispute the genre’s Hall resume, the pioneers of Speed Rap may have a claim for induction.

Older baseball fans may remember the 1976 season of the Detroit Tiger’s phenomenon, Mark “The Bird” Fidrych whose rookie campaign was laced with instant superstardom and a promise of a legendary career. This didn’t happen, as Fidrych was essentially done after that year and never came close to that and fans waited for a “Second Coming” that would never arrive. The career of the Stone Roses had a similar parallel as they never did come close to matching the magic they did on their debut full length album in 1989.

Critically despised? Check! Played very little today on Classic Rock stations? Check! Sold out arenas in their day? Check! Sold a lot of platinum records? Check! Confused? Meet the Hard Rock enigma known as Grand Funk Railroad.

It is very common in pop culture for entertainers to become more popular in death. In the case of Nick Drake, he has elevated to cult status which is many levels higher than the anonymity he had when he was alive.