JAY-Z, Mary J. Blige, and LL Cool J Nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2021 are in.

This year’s nominations include hip-hop royalty, JAY-Z and LL Cool J, as well as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige.

Also among the 16 eligible acts are Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, the Go-Go’s, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Devo, Carole King, Fela Kuti, New York Dolls, and Todd Rundgren.

JAY-Z, along with Foo Fighters, are the only acts this year to appear on the ballot in their first year of eligibility. This is the first ballot appearance for Blige and sixth for LL Cool J. According to the Hall of Fame, the Class of 2021 is the most racially diverse ballot since 1996, with nine of the 16 nominees being people of color.

To be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to have been released in 1995 or earlier.

More than 1,000 artists, historians, and members of the music industry will take part in the voting process. Fans will also be able to cast their vote at rockhall.com or at an interactive kiosk at the museum in Cleveland. The top vote-getters will be announced in May and inducted in a ceremony this fall.

The Class of 2020 included The Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Nine Inch Nails, T-Rex, and the Doobie Brothers, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame during a virtual ceremony that aired on HBO in November.