The Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston lead Hall of Fame nominees
The hip-hop legend the Notorious B.I.G., pop-R&B queen Whitney Houston, Seattle grunge band Soundgarden, the jam group the Dave Matthews Band, pioneering German electronic music ensemble Kraftwerk and powerhouse rock singer Pat Benatar are among the diverse slate of 16 music acts nominated for induction next year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The 2020 nominees also include Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, MC5, Nine Inch Nails, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Judas Priest and T. Rex.
Inductees are expected to be announced in January after the hall’s 1,000-plus voting members cast their ballots. As has been the case in recent years, fans also can vote for their favorites on the Rock Hall’s website. Fan balloting adds only one vote apiece for the top five vote-getters, but public sentiment can affect the hall’s voting membership, which consists of artists, managers, record industry personnel and music critics.
Since the hall’s inception in 1983 and first class of inductees in 1986, it has taken criticism at times for what some have seen as under-representation for women, hiphop, new wave, heavy metal, progressive rock and others working outside the traditional rock framework. The nonprofit organization has diversified its board of directors and voting membership in recent years to better reflect the makers of and audience for contemporary popular music.
The Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, is one of nine nominees who made the ballot for the first time, along with Houston, Matthews, the Doobies, Motorhead, T. Rex, Benatar, Soundgarden and Thin Lizzy.
If inducted, Biggie, who was killed in 1997, would join six other rap artists who previously have made the Rock Hall: Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, N.W.A, Tupac Shakur, the Beastie Boys, Run-D.M.C. and Public Enemy.
Biggie also is the only act among the nominees to make that list in his first year of eligibility.