According to Pitchfork, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its nominees vying to be added to the 2020 list of inductees. The lengthy list includes Whitney Houston, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan and The Notorious B.I.G.— this is his first year of eligibility.
Artists who became Rock Hall eligible for the first time this year but weren’t nominated include Oasis, Weezer, Aaliyah, Daft Punk, Elliott Smith, Sleater-Kinney, and Wilco. An artist becomes eligible 25 years after their first commercial record was released.
Previous nominees who didn’t make the cut this year include Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, the Replacements, Bad Brains, the Smiths, Eric B. & Rakim, Jane’s Addiction, John Prine, Eurythmics, LL Cool J, and Gram Parsons.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2019 was Radiohead, the Cure, Janet Jackson, Roxy Music, Stevie Nicks, Def Leppard, and the Zombies. Most of Radiohead declined to show up for the ceremony, Jackson urged the Rock Hall to “induct more women,” and Stevie Nicks shared the stage with Harry Styles.
Last year Janet Jackson encouraged the Hall of Fame to “induct more women” during her induction acceptance speech. With Whitney and Chaka in the running for next year, Jackson may get her wish.
Let the race to the Hall of Fame begin! And just in case you’re thinking this process involves a stuffy board filled with white dudes, I have a pleasant surprise for you. It’s a democratic process! Fans are welcome to vote for their favorite by heading to rockhall.com! The inductees will be announced in January.
