Names and faces

■ Yoko Ono, who was previously credited as a co-producer on John Lennon’s “Imagine,” will earn a co-writing credit on the 1971 song. David Israelite, the president and chief executive officer of the National Music Publishers’ Association, said Wednesday at an event that Ono would earn the co-writing recognition on the song 48 years after its release. “Imagine” received the Centennial Song Award at the annual event by the organization. Israelite told Variety that the process of officially getting Ono the credit is underway. Rolling Stone magazine ranked “Imagine” at No. 3 on its list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2004.

■ Jay Z, whose wife, Beyonce, is expecting twins soon, missed the 2017 Songwriters Hall of Fame ceremony, where he was inducted by a charismatic longtime fan: former U.S. President Barack Obama. Jay Z became the first rapper inducted into the prestigious organization and was the first hip-hop act nominated for the honor. The icon, who rarely tweets, posted multiple messages on Twitter around the time the ceremony took place, naming rappers whom he admires, from veterans like Rakim and Nas to contemporaries such as Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. “Thank you to all the people that have inspired me,” Jay Z, born Shawn Carter, tweeted. “Salute to anybody who made a song to feed their family or just vent.” Obama, appearing in a taped video, told the audience Thursday that he’s been listening to Jay Z since he was a “young and hungry state senator” and compared himself to the New York rapper. “Nobody who met us as younger men would have expected us to be where we are today. You know what it’s like not to have a father around, you know what it’s like not to come from much, and to know people who didn’t get the same breaks that we did. So we try to prop open those doors of opportunity so that it’s a little easier for those who come up behind us to succeed as well,” Obama said, earning an applause from the audience in New York City. “Jay and I are also fools for our daughters, although he’s going to have me beat once those two twins show up. And let’s face it, we both have wives who are significantly more popular than we are,” he added. The 2017 Songwriters Hall class also included Motown founder Berry Gordy; R&B maestro Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds; songwriting duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis; pop music great Max Martin; and members of Chicago.

Jay Z

Ono