Last October hip-hop legend The Notorious B.I.G. and music icon Whitney Houston were included amongst the latest group of musicians to be nominated for induction into the esteemed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Now their inductions are official, the organization announced Wednesday.
According to the New York Times, the Rock Hall confirmed that Houston and Biggie would be both be posthumously joining ’90s industrial-alternative band Nine Inch Nails and synth-pop group Depeche Mode amongst others in the class of 2020 honorees on May 2 in Cleveland.
The Times points out how rigorous the nomination process is, explaining that this year’s honorees, “were voted in by a group of more than 1,000 artists, industry professionals and historians, as well as a fan vote that counts as one ballot.”
In order to be eligible for admittance to the Rock Hall, artists and bands must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years ago. Nine of this year’s nominees were first-timers on the ballot. Many of them are acts that came of age in the 1990s, while others are considered legacy artists who have yet to be included on the Rock Hall’s roster.
The full list of 2020 inductees in the Performer Category is as follows
• Depeche Mode
• The Doobie Brothers
• Whitney Houston
• Nine Inch Nails
• The Notorious B.I.G.
• T-Rex
Although the Dave Mathews Band won the fan vote, unfortunately the didn’t make the cut this year. Biggie Smalls, who died in 1997, has often been lauded as one of the best rappers in hip-hop history which also made him a fan favorite this year. When inducted in the spring, he will be only the second solo rapper to ever be entered into the Hall of Fame after Tupac Shakur landed a spot back in 2017.
Houston, who died in 2012, has been eligible since 2009 but the nomination for the 2020 class is her first. She is the only Black woman to be an inductee this year. Last year only one Black woman, Janet Jackson, was inducted.
Story credit to Blue Telusma/The Grio.
Photo credit to The Grio.