Pharrell honored Kraftwerk at the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in a recorded video speech presenting them with a Music Excellence Award. It was followed by a video tribute featuring Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, the Human League’s Philip Oakey, and Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC. Check out the video tribute—and Pharrell’s intro—below.
LL Cool J, Billy Preston, Randy Rhoads were also recognized this year with Music Excellence Awards. Eminem joined LL for a rendition of “Rock the Bells,” and both Taylor Swift and Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to Carole King, who was inducted for a second time this year as a solo artist.
Read “Remembering Florian Schneider, Who Brought Sonic Perfectionism and Humor to Kraftwerk” on the Pitch.