CLEVELAND — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame welcomed the YouTube playlist “Chill Lofi Hip Hop Beats to Study and Relax to” into its ranks, confirmed sources who thought it was about time it received some credible recognition.
“This is for anyone who starts out with nothing but a dream, a Spotify account, and a fog machine,” said the playlist artist known as Beats, who accepted the honor before an audience of students wearing headphones and reading. “A special thanks to my parents for always supporting me, be that with your words or trust fund. This also wouldn’t be possible without my producer and good family friend, Mr. Pharrell Williams. And lastly, I want to thank a very special group: the no-name musicians whose music I used without attribution or compensation.”
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame representative Dawn Wayt spoke to their justification for inducting the unconventional artist.
“Gen Z doesn’t want to see some haggard boozehound riffing on guitar for 30 minutes,” remarked Wayt. “I mean, what is a musician? These days, you can put a beat to a car crash and become a viral sensation overnight. The way we see it, somebody who can’t play music is just as qualified as a virtuoso with a history of predatory assault. So long as you have a million followers on TikTok and keep the allegations to five or fewer, you belong here.”
But some experts are critical of the Hall of Fame’s decision.
“From an academic lens, ‘Chill Lofi Hip Hop Beats to Study and Relax to’ is not rock and roll,” said Dr. Kelsey Cardenas, music historian at Cleveland State University. “Historically, rock music had lyrics with substance. Songs depicted real issues like politics, drugs, and lust for underaged girls. If your kid wanted instrumental beats to study to, you hired a three-piece band and a drummer. We didn’t ask if it was healthy to subject children to crashing symbols and blaring trumpets mere inches from their face. It built character. And you never had to worry about your daughter becoming a groupie, because hearing a simple drum roll sent her into a crippling panic attack. Have we really lost that dream?”
At press time, Beats was working on a new playlist titled “Upbeat Ska Instrumentals to Jerk Off and Fuck to.”
