Former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens has once again slammed the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame after the band's latest snub. The British heavy metal legends were on the ballot for Rock Hall induction this year, but failed to receive enough votes to make the class of 2020. Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was previously on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list. Current members Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Glenn Tipton and Scott Travis would have been inducted along with K.K. Downing, Les Binks and late drummer Dave Holland. Speaking to "The Five Count" radio show, Owens stated about PRIEST's absence from the Rock Hall: "I don't care about JUDAS PRIEST being snubbed too much myself; I mean, it's the whole [rock] genre being snubbed. Not even hard rock. I mean, FOREIGNER's not even been up to be in there. FOREIGNER should be in before any of the bands that just went in, in my opinion. I get in a car and I hear five different songs every day when I'm driving from FOREIGNER. So I'm shocked that it's called the Rock And Roll Hall… It just shouldn't be called the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame; it should be called the Music Hall Of Fame, if they're going to let these people in. I mean, I'm not gonna get in — JUDAS PRIEST was snubbed to be in it, and I guess JUDAS PRIEST has snubbed me. I was in the band about 10 years and I'm not going into it. "You talk about an influential band," he continued. "People said they [Rock Hall] like people who influenced people. I'm, like, how could you be any more influential than JUDAS PRIEST? [BLACK] SABBATH and then PRIEST [were the two bands that started] this genre and [got] it going. And even the leather-and-spikes [image], how they started that trend, in my opinion. The dual guitars they really pushed that [to the forefront]. "I'm shocked, but there's a lot more people than just JUDAS PRIEST [that are not in the Rock Hall], and that's what's a shame about it," Owens added. "It's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and Chubby Checker is not in there, and this guy had a song and a dance, 'The Twist' [which popularized the 'Twist' dance craze], and it's kind of, like, how in the hell does that even happen? Yet GREEN DAY is in it. Or the big rapper guy that just went in. I mean, how does a big rapper go into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame? How does that even happen? He should go in the Music Hall Of Fame. I mean, it's exciting, though, 'cause there's a good chance I could go into the Rapper Hall Of Fame, so I guess it's kind of good. I'm kind of starting a thing for that. I don't have to make a rap song; I just need to be a musician to go in. And another good chance I have — I've always wanted to do this — there's a good chance I can go into the Baseball Hall Of Fame too. Listen, I never play — I played in Little League in high school, so there's a good chance I still could go in there, because musicians should be allowed to go into the Baseball Hall Of Fame." Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility. Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation. Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014. DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.
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