Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021

2.11.21

Jay-Z Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 Nominee

Yesterday, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced the nominations for 2021 induction. This fall will be the 36th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which will take place in the home of the museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Over the past two decades, the organization has recognized the similarities and influence of hip-hop on the mainstream music industry, and has chosen to recognize the greats in this category, as well. For the first time, Jay-Z has been nominated as a 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominee.

Currently, there are sixteen nominations. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame organization is said to send out around 1,000 ballots to successful people in the industry to cast their nominations. Next, there is a public vote. Yes, us fans, people at home, etc. can go to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and vote for our top five favorite artists whom we feel should be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Voting is open until April 30th, and some time in May, the top five nominees will officially become inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In order to be an eligible nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the artist or band must have released their first commercial recording at least twenty-five years prior to the year of their nomination. Jay-Z dropped Reasonable Doubt in 1996, twenty-five years ago. At the time, he had no major label, so created Roc-A-Fella Records as his independent label. The project featured Foxy Brown, Mary J. Blige, The Notorious B.I.G. and others. Debuting at number 23 on the Billboard 200, ultimately reaching platinum status, and later becoming included in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, it was only a matter of time until this project turned 25 years old, and Jay-Z would be nominated into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Besides just the length of ones career, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame also takes into consideration the artist’s musical influence on other artists, their consistency on growing their catalog, their innovation of craft and style, and superiority, when it comes to technique and execution. I am not even Jay-Z’s biggest fan, but I truly cannot think of a better fit for this award. Jay-Z is the most influential artist there is alive today in hip-hop. After creating Roc Nation, Jay-Z has gotten the chance to mentor dozens of musicians, artist and athletes. Even if you are not a part of the label, you still wanted to show up to Roc Nation brunch and a take a photo. We have been listening to Verzuz battles for almost a year now, and everyone always brings up whether or not they have a Jay-Z feature, which is many times the deciding factor. Jay-Z even created his own musical platform, Tidal, in hopes to get back a bit of what free streaming services have taken from artists. I am not sure how much more innovative you can get than that. Jay has told us his story from beginning to end, the good, bad and the ugly. Hip-hop, rock-and-roll, building a brand, whatever it may be, this man is one of the most influential there is.

Overall, the sixteen nominees of this years Rock & Roll Hall of Fame include Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, Rage Against the Machine, The Go-Go’s, Dionne Warwick, Todd Rundgren, New York Dolls, Felafels Kuti, Carole King, Chaka Khan, Devo and Kate Bush. For seven these artists/bands, it is their first time being nominated. Jay-Z and the Foo Fighters are the only in the bunch whose also is nominated at their first year of eligibility. For others, such as LL Cool J, he has been nominated several times in the past, since 2010, and has yet to be inducted. Let’s help him out the year, too!

While hip-hop is definitely not the most popular category when it comes to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it is something that has been acknowledged and we have seen slowly grow over time. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first group of hip-hop artists to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They were inducted in 2007, and funny enough, were inducted by Jay-Z himself. In the years to follow, we would be excited to see a hip-hop inductee every now and again. Run DMC, inducted in 2009 by Eminem. Beastie Boys, inducted in 2012 by Chuck D and LL Cool J. Public Enemy, inducted in 2012 by Spike Lee and Harry Belafonte. N.W.A, inducted in 2016 by Kendrick Lamar. Tupac Shakur, inducted in 2017 by Snoop Dogg. The Notorious B.I.G, inducted in 2020. Will Jay-Z be next? Can we finally get LL Cool J in there?

There are plenty of others in hip-hop whom we would define as deserving as this award. Rakim dropped Paid in Full in the late 80s, with DJ Eric B. He was nominated in 2011 as a duo, but has yet to be nominated as a solo artist. His first solo album dropped in 1997, so maybe next year we will see another nomination. Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre both released their debut albums in the early 90s. It is surprising that they have yet to be recognized with all that they have accomplished, but I think their year will come. Nas and Eminem both had debut albums released in 1996. Perhaps their time will come in the near future. Not to mention, Wu-Tang Clan has now been eligible for four years, and have yet to be on the ballot. Whether as a group, solo artists, or both, we need to see these guys there in the near future.

When it majorly comes down to an audience vote, it is hard for our guys to win, because the majority of people voting probably listen to Rock-and-Roll. Upon casting your votes, you can look at the current standings. Right now, Jay-Z needs some help, and so does LL Cool J. There is plenty of time to vote, so go cast your votes now on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame page.