Jay Z, Mary J. Blige And LL Cool J Nominated For The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame

Nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2021 are out and they include Brooklyn native Jay-Z, Bronx-born Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J from Queens and Carole King and the New York Dolls from Manhattan. Orange, N.J., native Dionne Warwick also gives this year’s list of nominees a decidedly regional flavor.

Other bands under consideration include Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, Devo, The Go-Go’s and Iron Maiden. Solo artists Kate Bush, Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren and Tina Turner are also in the mix, as is Nigerian innovator Fela Kuti, who is credited for the popularity of Afrobeat.

“To be awakened at 8am letting me know I’ve been nominated to the rock n roll hall of fame is quite a way to start my day!” tweeted Warwick, who’s become a Twitter sensation recently. “When God winks he does it with flair and a surprise. I’m thrilled!”

Inductees will be announced in May and a celebration ceremony is slated for Cleveland in the fall, which organizers hope will be an in-person event and not virtual.

Music fans can vote through April 30 at rockhall.com for their favorite performers. According to the Hall of Fame, the top five artists picked will comprise a “fans’ ballot” that will be tallied along with more than 1,000 judges’ ballots to select a nominee. The latter list includes musicians, historians and various representatives from the music industry.

To be eligible for induction, a candidate must have released their first recording at least 25 years ago.

Foo Fighters, the Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, Jay-Z, Carole King (as a performer), Fela Kuti and Warwick are appearing on the ballot for the first time this year.

Stevie Nicks is the only female Hall of Famer inducted twice thus far — once as a solo artist and also for her work with Fleetwood Mac. Turner and King would join her by making the cut. King was inducted as a songwriter in 1990. A year later, Turner joined the Hall of Fame for her work with her late husband Ike.

King seemed to address the fact that some took Wednesday’s nomination as a sign she wasn’t already enshrined.

“I am honored to be nominated for a possible induction this year,” she tweeted. “To be clear, I’ve already been inducted with Gerry Goffin as a songwriter. This nomination is as an artist.”

Goffin, King’s late husband and her lyricist on such classics as “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” and “Take Good Care of My Baby,” died in 2014.

Grohl, who was inducted with his former band Nirvana in 2014, would also be a two-timer if Foo Fighters are inducted.

Go-Go’s bassist Kathy Valentine tweeted a photo of the group and the other female nominees, writing, “What a stellar bunch of incredible women.”

Her bandmate Jane Wiedlin, meanwhile, commented on the long wait the band endured before being nominated.

“It’s been a loooooooooong time coming!” she wrote, with a picture of a giraffe.

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