Raven B. Varona
JAY-Z Inducted Into 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
The Roc is in the building.
JAY-Z will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it was officially announced. He joins an illustrious list of inductees for the Class of 2021 including Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Carole King, and Todd Rundgren.
Additionally, LL Cool J, Billy Preston, and Randy Rhoads will receive the Musical Excellence Award. Kraftwerk, Gil Scott Heron, and Charley Patton will get the Early Influence Award, and Sussex Records founder Clarence Avant will be honored with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
Just Announced: The #RockHall2021 Inductees pic.twitter.com/WeocRAvSDb
— Rock Hall (@rockhall) May 12, 2021
JAY-Z was inducted in his first year of eligibility. In order to be eligible for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album had to have been released in 1995 or earlier. JAY-Z’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt, dropped in 1996.
Three of this year’s inductees–Tina Turner, Dave Grohl, and Carole King–are entering the Hall of Fame for the second time. Turner entered in 1991 as half of the duo Ike & Tina Turner.
“This is our most diverse class in the history of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement. “It really represents the Hall’s ongoing commitment to honor the artists that have created not only rock and roll, but the sound of youth culture.”
Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, and Dionne Warwick were also among this year’s 16-nominee ballot, but did not garner enough votes.
The induction ceremony will be held at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Oct. 30 and will broadcast on HBO Max at a later date.