Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige, And More Are 2021's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Nominees

The 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees list is here, and as common, it's huge — and polarizing.


On Wednesday (February 10), the Cleveland Museum reported its latest class of nominees, a portion of which will be officially inducted in the fall this year, immediately following the Rock Hall announces the best vote. That list is long impressive, also it includes the following artists: Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Mary J. Blige, Iron Maiden, Tina Turner, the Go-Go’s, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Devo, Chaka Khan, Carole King, Fela Kuti, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Todd Rundgren, and Dionne Warwick.


To secure a slot in the nominees field, the Rock Hall's criteria stipulates an artist "must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years back to the year of nomination." For Jay-Z, this marks his first year of eligibility, as his debut LP, Reasonable Doubt, dropped in 1996. Also notable is Dave Grohl's nomination with Foo Fighters; if he's inducted, it'll be for a second time, as he was inducted with Nirvana in 2014.


King, likewise, was previously inducted in 1990 as well as her songwriting partner Gerry Goffin. Because the Rock Hall points out in its announcement, King and Turner, if they make the inductees list, will become the second and third female artists to be inducted twice. (Stevie Nicks became the initial in 2019.) Khan had previously been nominated both as a solo artist and with her musical group, Rufus.


Seven of this year's 16 nominees were included for the initial time ever, including the Foos Jay-Z, as well as metal icons Iron Maiden, new wave favorites The Go-Go's, R&B/hip-hop stalwart Mary J. Blige, Afrobeat pioneer and activist Fela Kuti, and longtime vocal legend Dionne Warwick. The Rock Hall also says this class of nominees is its most racially diverse since 1996, as Rolling Stone reports.


Naturally, news of the ballot has fueled conversations on social media about the Rock Hall's past treatment of girls and artists of color, and plenty of tweeters expressed incredulity at how an artist like Turner wasn't already inducted.


We'll have wait up until May to be able to see who makes the list of inductees for 2021. Up until then, the Rock Hall's "international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians, and members of the music industry" weighs in on the ballot to create the final choices about who makes it in. As fans, you have power, too.


you could cast your own ballot and make your voice heard right now through April 30 right here.