Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominees 2021!

The nominees have finally been announced, with 16 to choose from. Here they are:

 

Lowest Priority (Don’t want to get in)

 

Chaka Khan. They just won’t give up on her, and keep trying to get her in, either as a solo act or as part of Rufus.

 

The Go-Gos. I don’t really know why they’d be considered Hall of Fame – they did nothing special. That said, female groups are underrepresented.

 

Todd Rundgren. He’s a skilled multi-instrumentalist, but sort of a one-album wonder, for most people. Not an essential act.

 

Devo. They made a splash, but pretty much instantly disappeared, right? Another one-album wonder.

 

New York Dolls. I get that they were groundbreaking, but they are – yet another – one-album wonder.

 

LL Cool J. They keep trying to make this happen, and I still don’t know why. He put out a couple of okay albums, I suppose. This one teeters between Low and Mid, for me.

 

Mid Priority (Don’t mind if they get in)

 

Rage Against the Machine. I don’t like them, but I respect their value to nu metal, and Morello’s a great guitarist.

 

Mary J. Blige. She is definitely deserving, but not as a top priority for me. Absolutely wouldn't mind seeing her inducted, though.

 

Foo Fighters. A very solid rock group, sort of a torch-bearer for the past twenty-five years.

 

Kate Bush. She’s important, and has a significant following. Like Blige, not a top priority, but both would be nice for increasing female representation.

 

Top Priority (Should get in)

 

Carole King. Already inducted in the non-performing category (as a songwriter) people have, for ages, been gunning for King to be inducted as a performer. It feels overdue.

 

Jay Z. If Biggie and Tupac are already in, along with a slew of other hiphop artists, then I suppose Jay Z should be as well. He’s certainly important enough.

 

Tina Turner. Definitely deserving for a solo act. She’s in there with Ike, but it would be fitting to give her a spot of her own.

 

Iron Maiden. Not a fan, but metal is so amazingly underrepresented, it just feels wrong for them not to be included.

 

Fela Kuti. It would be nice for the H of F to address its global imbalance, and Kuti’s a great place to start. Notably this is the first year, in a long time, that Germany’s Kraftwerk weren’t nominated (which is criminal, by the way). The Hall needs to do better recognizing rock acts that weren't once part of the British Empire. (And yes, I know that Nigeria was part of their empire - shut up.)

 

Dionne Warwick. Incredibly overdue for entry. A string of classic hits, tremendous popularity – if Whitney Houston and Nina Simone are in, then Warwick definitely should be too. This is the one I'm most hopeful for.