LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has inducted its 2025 class of music giants. The ceremony, held Saturday at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater, was a vibrant mix of tributes, speeches, and performances by legendary acts including Soundgarden, Salt-N-Pepa, and Big Boi of Outkast, alongside numerous A-list musical guests.
Artists become eligible for the Hall of Fame 25 years after their first music release. Here’s a look at this year’s Rock Hall class, some of their defining songs, and who inducted them.
### Outkast
American rap duo that began in the 1990s.
**Key songs:** “Hey Ya,” “Ms. Jackson,” and “Roses.”
**Inducted by:** Donald Glover.
A medley performance featured Big Boi, Janelle Monáe, JID, Doja Cat, Killer Mike, and Sleepy Brown.
### Bad Company
English rock band formed in the 1970s.
**Key songs:** “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Can’t Get Enough,” and “Bad Company.”
**Inducted by:** Mick Fleetwood.
Bad Company’s drummer Simon Kirke was joined by Nancy Wilson of Heart and Joe Perry of Aerosmith on guitars, with Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson on vocals.
### Cyndi Lauper
American singer and songwriter whose solo career began in the early 1980s.
**Key songs:** “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” “Time After Time,” and “True Colors.”
**Inducted by:** Chappell Roan.
Lauper performed a medley of her hits, including duets with Avril Lavigne, Raye, and Salt-N-Pepa.
### Soundgarden
American rock band formed in 1984.
**Key songs:** “Black Hole Sun,” “Fell on Black Days,” and “Outshined.”
**Inducted by:** Jim Carrey.
The surviving members performed with Taylor Momsen and Brandi Carlile, who stepped in for the late vocalist Chris Cornell. Cornell’s daughter, Toni, also performed alongside Nancy Wilson in a touching tribute.
### Salt-N-Pepa
American rap group formed in the 1980s.
**Key songs:** “Push It,” “Let’s Talk About Sex,” and “Shoop.”
**Inducted by:** Missy Elliott.
The group performed a medley of their hits with a special appearance from En Vogue.
### Chubby Checker
American singer who began releasing records in the 1950s.
**Key songs:** “The Twist,” “Limbo Rock,” and “Let’s Twist Again.”
### Joe Cocker
English singer who began releasing records in the 1960s and passed away in 2014.
**Key songs:** “You Are So Beautiful,” “Up Where We Belong,” and “With a Little Help From My Friends.”
**Inducted by:** Bryan Adams.
A medley performance featured Teddy Swims, Tedeschi Trucks Band, along with Adams, Lauper, Chris Robinson, and Nathaniel Rateliff performing “With a Little Help From My Friends.”
### The White Stripes
American rock band that began in the 1990s.
**Key songs:** “Seven Nation Army,” “We’re Going to Be Friends,” and “Doorbell.”
**Inducted by:** Iggy Pop.
### Warren Zevon
American singer-songwriter who began releasing solo records in the early 1970s and died in 2003.
**Key songs:** “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” “Werewolves of London,” and “Keep Me in Your Heart.”
**Inducted by:** David Letterman.
Zevon was honored with a performance by The Killers.
### Carole Kaye
American session musician known for playing bass on countless hits starting in the 1950s.
**Key songs:** The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are Made for Walkin’,” and Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were.”
### Thom Bell
American music producer and songwriter active from the 1960s until his passing in 2022.
**Key songs:** The Delfonics’ “La-La (Means I Love You),” The Spinners’ “The Rubberband Man,” and The Stylistics’ “You Make Me Feel Brand New.”
### Nicky Hopkins
English session musician who played keyboards on numerous hits starting in the 1960s and died in 1994.
**Key songs:** The Beatles’ “Revolution,” The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil,” and Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful.”
### Lenny Waronker
American music producer and executive active since the 1970s.
**Key songs from artists he produced or signed:** Rickie Lee Jones’ “Chuck E’s in Love,” Prince’s “Purple Rain,” and R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.”
The 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony celebrated decades of musical excellence across genres, honoring both household names and behind-the-scenes legends who shaped the soundtracks of generations.
https://wsvn.com/entertainment/a-look-at-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame-2025-inductees-and-how-they-were-honored/
