Read Big Boi’s Speech Inducting Kate Bush Into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2023

Kate Bush was inducted into the Rock & Hall of Fame tonight (November 3). Though she was not present at the ceremony in Brooklyn, she was honored by one of her most vocal and biggest fans, Big Boi. The Outkast rapper delivered a speech in her honor. A video package featured tributes from Elton John, St. Vincent, David Gilmour, Peter Gabriel, and Lauren Mayberry. After the package, Big Boi reached out to Bush through the cameras to finish their long-rumored collaboration. Read his full speech below.

Big Boi has been singing the praises of Kate Bush for years, and over a decade ago, he revealed that he’d spoken to her on the phone. “I’ve been trying to get with Kate Bush for maybe five years now,” he told Pitchfork in 2010. “She’s one of my all time favorite artists. She’s number one, Bob Marley’s number two to me. I grew up on it, and the complexity of the music itself drew me to her. I was introduced to the music by my uncle Russell, and I used to ride my bike to middle school and listen to it.”

Bush was announced as a member of the Rock Hall Class of 2023 in May, along with George Michael, Willie Nelson, Missy Elliott, Sheryl Crow, Rage Against the Machine, and the Spinners. “I have to admit I’m completely shocked at the news of being inducted into the Hall of Fame! It’s something I just never thought would happen,” she said in a statement after the news became public. When she confirmed that she wouldn’t be present, she offered specific congratulations to Bernie Taupin.

Bush had been nominated for the honor three times before: in 2018, 2021, and 2022. The prominent placement of “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” in the fourth season of Stranger Things in 2022 launched Bush to a new level of public recognition, especially in the United States. She last issued a record with 2016’s Before the Dawn, a live album that documented her first performances in 35 years.

Check it out: I fell in love with Kate Bush in middle school. My uncle Russell, my favorite uncle, turned me onto her and I listened to “Running Up That Hill” on my bike. I was that kid from Stranger Things. Like I’m talking about I really think they took my interview and put it in Stranger Things. So since then, I’ve been obsessed with her music and remained her biggest fan. I know what some of you are thinking: What does Kate Bush have to do with hip-hop? She is such a unique artist, you might as well also ask: What does Kate Bush have to do with rock’n’roll?