Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, and Rage Against the Machine Among Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2021 Nominees

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has unveiled its list of nominees for the class of 2021, and Jay-Z has received a nod in his first year of eligibility.

The list of nominees for 2021 includes a variety of musicians across varying genres, from Mary J. Blige to Iron Maiden, both of whom are first-time nominees. Other first-timers include Fela Kuti, Dionne Warwick, the Go-Go’s, and Foo Fighters. Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush, Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, New York Dolls, LL Cool J, and Carole King are among those to have been previously nominated.

It’s worth pointing out that if the Foo Fighters, who also just reached their first year of eligibility because the band’s first commercial record came out 25 years ago, are inducted, it will mark Dave Grohl’s second inclusion following Nirvana entering the Rock Hall in 2014. Carole King and Tina Turner if inducted would be the second and third women inducted multiple times, following Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie Nicks.

The ceremony will be held this fall in Cleveland, while the inductees will be announced in May. (All phases of the proceedings were delayed several months past their usual dates in 2020 due to the pandemic.) Ahead of that, fans can cast their vote for their favorite nominee through the Rock Hall website up to April 30. As Pitchfork points out, notable artists who became eligible for a nomination this year but did not receive one include D’Angelo, Deftones, and Robyn.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2021 nominees: