We're all getting old

Madonna, The Beastie Boys and John Cougar Mellencamp have been nominated for inductions into the RnR Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

The other random nominees are: Donna Summer, CHIC ("Good Times"/"Le Freak"), stupid Afrika Bambaataa, Leonard Cohen!, The Dave Clark Five and The Ventures ("Walk Don't Run"/"Hawaii 5-0")

No CHIC, no rap?

From CHIC's 1979 "Risqué" album, the lead track "Good Times" became one of the most important and influential songs ever.

The track formed the backbone of Grandmaster Flash's "Adventures on the Wheels of Steel" and the Sugarhill Gang's breakthrough hip-hop single, "Rapper's Delight", and has been endlessly sampled since by many dance and hip hop acts.

Sugarhill Gang's song inspired Blondie's 1980 hit, "Rapture" which is considered by some to be the second major hip-hop hit after "Rapper’s Delight" and also Queen's hit, "Another One Bites the Dust".

So basically: no CHIC, no hip-hop.

Fun Fact: CHIC's most famous song "Le Freak" features that famous chorus:

"Aaaaaaahh freak out!
Le Freak, c'est chic "

But it was supposed to go"Aaaaaaah FUCK OFF!".

The line was directed at Studio 54. It was New Years Eve 1977. CHIC was all dressed up and ready to party with Grace Jones. They get to the door, their names aren't on the list, doorman ain't having it and tells them to get lost. CHIC is pissed. They bought some cheap champagne from a bodega, went back to their flat and wrote "Fuck Off". It was later changed at the request of the label to "Freak out" and the song became "Le Freak".

"Le Freak" went on to become the highest selling record ever on Atlantic Records, and the highest-selling single ever for the Warner Music Group until it was displaced in 1990 by Madonna's "Vogue". And now they're both up for nomination to the Hall of Fame together.

Like how I tied that all up at the end? That's tight.