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A Sly & the Family Stone tribute with Stevie Wonder, Maxwell, Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beck, Questlove of The Roots, Leon Thomas (who was nominated for Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammys) and Jennifer Hudson kicked off the inductions of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday night.
They performed the Denton-born musician’s greatest hits such as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People” and “Thank You.” Hudson came later to blow the audience away for “Higher.”
You can watch the full performance below.
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Held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, the inductees in this year’s ceremony include Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden and The White Stripes. Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for their musical influence. Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins and Carol Kaye are recognized for their musical excellence. Meanwhile, Lenny Waronker is the recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Stone passed away on June 9 at the age of 82. The funk frontman of Family Stone had been battling lung disease, according to a statement provided by his family.
Stone was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Sly and the Family Stone in 1993.
In the five-hour ceremony, Mick Fleetwood inducted Bad Company.
Missy Elliott inducted Salt-N-Pepa. “I watched these three ladies from high school and the reason you know Missy Elliott’s name is because of Salt, Pepa and [DJ] Spinderella. They inspired me to become an MC,” Elliott said. “When they came up in this game, it was more male rappers. The female rappers had to step to the mic and show they could go toe to toe with the guys. And Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella did an effortlessly and seamlessly. They came out the gate, unapologetic, unforgettable, timeless, they were trailblazers and unstoppable.”
Salt-N-Pepa performed “Shoop,” “Let’s Talk About Sex,” “Whatta Man” with En Vogue and “Push It.”
In their speech, Salt-N-Pepa used their platform to call out Universal Music Group, who are currently in a legal battle over the rights to their music. Some of their most iconic songs are still not available for streaming.
Spinderella said she is the first female DJ to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She’s also celebrating 40 years as a DJ in hip-hop, thanking her family and her daughter, Christy Ray.
Iggy Pop inducted The White Stripes. Meg White missed the ceremony; however, White said Meg edited most of his speech. “I spoke with Meg the other day,” he said. “She wanted me to tell you she’s very grateful to all the folks who supported her through all the years. It really means a lot to her tonight.”
White’s emotion was felt throughout his speech. He brought a poem to the room, which he was going to send to Meg. Instead, he chose to read it to the audience tonight.
“One time, a girl climbed a tree, and in that tree was a boy, her brother, she thought. The tree looked so glorious and beautiful, but it was just an oak tree. These two so loved the world that they brought forth a parade float, one they built in their garage behind the oak tree with their own bare hands. The boy looked at this giant peppermint on wheels and felt pride — pride that it was produced in the Motor City, just like in the big factories, even though it was just their garage. He looked at the girl, his sister, he thought, and, like the Little Rascals, they said, Let’s put on a show. They paraded this float through the Cass Corridor, standing atop the peppermint pulled by white horses, or maybe it was a red Econoline van. Many of the blocks they traveled were empty, but some had people. Some of those people cheered, some laughed, and some even threw stones. With their bare hands, the two started to clap and sing and make up songs. Some people kept watching and swaying and moving. Then one person even smiled. The boy and the girl looked at each other, and they also smiled. They both felt the sin of pride, but they kept on smiling — smiling from a new freedom, knowing that they had shared and made another person feel something. They thought the person smiling at them was a stranger, someone they didn’t even know. But it wasn’t just a stranger. It was God.”
Twenty One Pilots performed The White Stripes’ songs.
Donald Glover inducted OutKast.
“Antwan ‘Big Boi’ Patton. André ‘3000’ Benjamin. Two young men from Atlanta debuted with the album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik in 1994. When I first played this album, I heard De La Soul, Pharcyde, Kilo Ali, Funkadelic, Living Color, Eddie Hazel, Prince,” he said. “I heard all of that. I also heard the kid I ride the bus with and the uncle who gives you $10 when he’s drunk. I heard the people around me. It was a groundbreaking mix. It showed me that being an artist really means you just need to be an observer.”
When OutKast came to accept their awards, they played rock, paper, scissors to see who would go first. Big Boi thanked his family and the team who helped OutKast become one of the most influential rap groups of all time. André 3000 freestyled his speech, bringing up the Dungeon Family and other friends to share the moment with them. He shouted out spots in Atlanta that shaped OutKast and got emotional recalling what Jack White said about starting in “little rooms.” Watch it below.
Big Boi performed as part of their tribute alongside Doja Cat, Tyler, the Creator, J.I.D, Janelle Monáe, Killer Mike and Sleepy Brown. They did “ATLiens,” “Ms. Jackson,” “Bombs Over Baghdad,” “Hey Ya!,” “The Way You Move” and “The Whole World.”
Following the event’s conclusion, it will be available to stream on Disney+. ABC is also airing a primetime special with performance highlights and standout moments on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, at 7 p.m. CT, available the next day on Hulu.
