Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame 2021 Nominees: JAY-Z, Mary J. Blige, Foo Fighters, Fela Kuti, More

The Rock Hall has revealed its latest slate of nominees, including seven first-timers out of 16 total acts. Inductees will be announced in May ahead of the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, to take place in Cleveland, Ohio, sometime this fall.

Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, JAY-Z, Mary J. Blige, Fela Kuti and Dionne Warwick all find themselves on the ballot for the first time, while Kate Bush, Devo, Chaka Khan, Carole King, LL Cool J, New York Dolls, Rage Against the Machine, Todd Rundgren and Tina Turner have all been here before.

Khan was twice-nominated before today, both solo and as a member of Rufus, while King and Turner stand to become the second and third women inducted twice, after Stevie Nicks became the first in 2019. Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl would be another double-inductee, as he already entered the Hall in 2014 as a member of Nirvana.

Foo Fighters and JAY-Z were both nominated in their first years of eligibility, meaning their first commercial recordings were released more than 25 years ago, while acts including D’Angelo, Garbage, Deftones, Backstreet Boys and Robyn entered their first years of eligibility in 2021, but were not nominated, as Pitchfork points out.

“This remarkable ballot reflects the diversity and depth of the artists and music the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrates,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, in a statement. “These nominees have left an indelible impact on the sonic landscape of the world and influenced countless artists that have followed them.”

2020 nominees included Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Motörhead, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden and Thin Lizzy, with Whitney Houston, T. Rex, The Notorious B.I.G., Nine Inch Nails, The Doobie Brothers and Depeche Mode making the final cut as inductees.

The Hall’s 2021 inductees will be chosen by “an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry.”

See the complete list of 2021 nominees below, beneath Paste archival audio from a 1995 Foo Fighters show, and keep your eye on Dionne Warwick’s Twitter, both in the hopes of a reaction to her nomination and in general.

Mary J. Blige
Kate Bush
Devo
Foo Fighters
The Go-Go’s
Iron Maiden
JAY-Z
Chaka Khan
Carole King
Fela Kuti
LL Cool J
New York Dolls
Rage Against the Machine
Todd Rundgren
Tina Turner
Dionne Warwick