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The nominations for 2020’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class are in and some heavy hitters are finally able to nab the huge accomplishment.
Atop the list is Brooklyn’s own Notorious B.I.G. and legendary soul singer Whitney Houston.
The other nominees include Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Judas Priest, Kraftwerk, MC5, Motörhead, Nine Inch Nails, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden, T. Rex, and Thin Lizzy.
To be eligible for the 2020 class, each artist or group’s first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier. Biggie’s first of his two critically acclaimed albums Ready to Die –which featured his singles “Juicy” and “Big Poppa”– was released in 1994, making him eligible. Whitney Houston’s self-titled first album dropped back in 1985, with her hits “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “I Will Always Love You,” dropping well before 1994 cut off.
With all the talents nominated, those with the most votes will be announced in January and formally inducted on May 2. According to Rolling Stone, “A voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry will select the new class.”
But most importantly, fans can also get in on the action and vote for their favorite legendary acts too by hitting up the kiosk at the museum in Cleveland or just heading over to rockhall.com.