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By John Budris

The induction unfolded as electric guitars conceded to electronics. The lowly turntable turned prime instrument. A PDA provided crib notes for a speech. And by all accounts, what was once deemed a noisy fad – hip-hop – emerged as a resounding presence of the night.

With the induction of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, hip-hop didn't just grab a foothold in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The genre scaled the peak and proclaimed itself king of the hill – even though the audience present may have dissented in that view if the level of applause was the measure of delight.

"Thirty years later rappers have become rock stars, movie stars, leaders, educators, philanthropists, even CEOs," said Jay-Z, rapper and Def Jam Records president, who cribbed his induction speech from a Blackberry. "None of this would have been possible without the work of these men."

The buzz of the evening was also shared by a wide cross section of performers – from college rock favorites R.E.M. to punk rocker-poet Patti Smith, heavy metal rockers Van Halen and the 1960s girl group The Ronettes.

Cry Baby Roth was a no show on Rock's greatest night.

The evening's fiercest ovations were reserved for the woman who never believed she'd ever make it to Hall other than with a paid admission for a tour: Patti Smith. Her bohemian song/poems bridged hippie and punk eras, and her album "Horses" still remains the benchmark for literate rock. She performed her biggest hit, "Because the Night," co-written with Bruce Springsteen, and the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter."

Smith was denied in previous years, and dedicated her award to her loyal friends and family who didn't live to see the day – including her late mother and husband, MC5's Fred "Sonic" Smith.

She kept promises to both by not cursing on stage, and by singing her mother's favorite song, the soundtrack to her housecleaning: "Rock 'n' Roll N-----."

As Smith's induction was bittersweet, the no-show of most of Van Halen's founding members was a ten on the bitter scale. Eddie Van Halen checked into rehab last week, and his brother Alex was nowhere to be found. Former lead singer David Lee Roth, who made hits of "Jump" and "Panama," with the band, threw a snit over what song he would perform and boycotted the night.

But bringing back some warmth came courtesy of R.E.M., as they welcomed back drummer Bill Berry, who left the band in 1997 after an aneurysm gave way on-stage two years earlier.

R.E.M. is credited for popularizing the college radio scene with hits like "Radio Free Europe" and became mainstream stars with songs like "Losing My Religion" and "Everybody Hurts."

A mustachioed Keith Richards with bling in his hair inducted the Ronettes, whose "Be My Baby" and "Baby I Love You" became the standard bearer tunes of the girl groups.

"They could sing all their way right through a wall of sound," Richards said. "They didn't need anything. They touched my heart right there and then and they touch it still."

Two of rock and roll's most influential forces — and members of its hall — received special recognition: The Rev. Al Sharpton honored James Brown, while rock hall dignitaries commemorated one of the institution's founders, record executive Ahmet Ertegun. Both Ertegun and Brown both died in December.