CLEVELAND, Ohio – Chuck D had the honor of inducting R&B legends Kool & The Gang during the 39th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday.

But backstage at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Public Enemy frontman, part of the Rock Hall’s Class of 2013, wanted to put something on the record: He’s against the Cleveland Browns leaving downtown and moving to a domed stadium in the suburbs.

“Do you remember the last time the Browns left? They became the Ravens. Don’t know What this Browns team is threatening,” he said, subtly referencing the team’s dismal 1-5 record.

“If you put a stadium outside the city, you get the Richfield Coliseum, right?” he continued. “Why would you revisit the Richfield Coliseum nightmare you had? It’s all good here, he said.

Earlier this week, Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam announced their intention to move the team to a new $2.4 billion domed stadium in Brook Park after their current lease expires after the 2028 season. Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb called the decision ‘very disheartening’. It is unclear how the Haslams plan to finance the project.

“Some years are higher years, and some years are lower years,” Chuck D added. “It doesn’t mean you have to move everything out of town… What the hell?”

Once he finished his poetic account of the Browns stadium situation, the hip-hop legend, a noted New York Knicks fan, asked the assembled reporters if they wanted to talk about the Cleveland Cavaliers or LeBron James.

No one spoke to him about it.

The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be streamed live on Disney+. ABC will broadcast an edited version with the best performances and moments on New Year’s Day 2025 at 8 p.m.