Tag: Queen Latifah

Time to Right Some Wrongs…Who Should Be in the 2024 Nomination Class for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?

It is hard to believe that we’ve already come around again to having to put together a nominee list for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Just over two months ago, the Induction Class of 2023 was ushered into the venerable halls in Cleveland, with the accolades for Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Chaka Khan, and others, still ringing from the rafters of the Barclays Center in New York. Time, however, moves forward, and it has come around again to consider the potential nominees for the 2024 class of the Rock Hall.

What does it take to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame? The ONLY qualification is that your initial recording must have a minimum of twenty-five (25) years before the current year. There is no rule regarding what style of music you play, no hard-set guidelines as far as sales, just the fact that you had an impact on the development and history of rock and roll. Note that I say “rock and roll” there; the problem that way too many people have is they think the building on the shores of Lake Erie is there JUST for “rock” music. It isn’t…and the sooner that people look at the history of the Hall (and the people who have been inducted), they will realize this.

But let’s get beyond this. As it is 2024, those who did their first recording in 1999 are now what is called “first-year eligible” for induction into the Hall. The problem is…there are not that many that are newly eligible that would be worth a “FYE” induction. Thus, it is time that the Rock Hall and the Nomination Committee take care of business and right some wrongs that have gone on in the past. Let’s look at what we might be seeing next month when the 2024 Nomination Class is announced.

First-Year Eligibles and Last Year’s Leftovers

In looking at the pool of candidates for 2024, I have to be honest…it’s an underwhelming list. When your power hitters are 50 Cent, Brad Paisley, Buckcherry, Jennifer Lopez, and John Mayer (among others), there’s not a lot to hang your hat on here. Even one of my longtime favorites, Halestorm, does not save this lot from a general “meh” comment. I do not believe that there has ever been a year that DIDN’T have an FYE nominee on the list…this one could very well do it.

So, what about last year’s choices? The 2023 Nomination Class was arguably one of the most diverse, both musically and otherwise, of any group in Rock Hall history. ANY of the fourteen choices available would have had a legitimate reason for induction. That’s why I believe that at least four of those that were overlooked last year will be back on the ballot again.

The outrage from fans of Warren Zevon regarding his longtime snub as a nominee and, last year, as an inductee, is something that the Rock Hall has to correct. Anyone who related to the SoCal music scene of the Seventies, from Jackson Browne to Fleetwood Mac to Linda Ronstadt to The Eagles, has bowed before Zevon and his notable songwriting and lyrical prowess. To continue to keep Zevon out of the Hall is unforgivable.

There was a similar outrage from backers of Joy Division/New Order regarding their non-induction in 2023. For everyone who calls themselves fans of The Cure, Depeche Mode, and other synth rock acts from the Eighties, they all owe a mascara-smeared nod to Joy Division/New Order, who were the forebearers of the goth sound (you could also toss The Damned in here, but I digress). You would not have much of that dark, moody sound that has permeated many other areas of music without Joy Division/New Order.

Finally, it is time that the Rock Hall gets over their bias – some would call it a hatred – of hard rock and heavy metal. Last year’s Nomination Class had two legends of the genre in Soundgarden, who were “grunge” before the term existed, and Iron Maiden (despite their dismissiveness of such honors like the Hall). BOTH of these bands not only deserve another nomination, but they also deserve induction.

Recent Nominees…A Second Chance

Over the past few years, there have also been those who got their nomination, failed to be inducted, and…drifted away like they didn’t matter. The problem is that all these artists had a sizeable impact on the world of rock and roll; it’s just that it is in a more nuanced and low-key manner. It is time these artists/bands got their second bite at the apple, and maybe this time they’ll get the call.

Artists like Fiona Apple and Beck have been overlooked because of their idiosyncrasies and the difficulties in appreciating their creations (Tori Amos falls in this same category). It is their experimentation with rock and roll that has pushed it forward into the 21st century, for such bands as Arctic Monkeys and Portugal. The Man to become successful. With Kate Bush taking her rightful seat in the Hall, both Apple and Beck should get another look.

Likewise, there are a handful of bands that deserve kudos for their efforts. How the Hall has overlooked such influential bands as Oasis, Daft Punk, and Sleater-Kinney for induction for so long is a bit mind-boggling, to be honest, because each of the bands has left their DNA on rock and roll. Oasis made Brit Pop memorable again in the Nineties, becoming the biggest thing to come from England since arguably the Beatles; Daft Punk delivered for the electronic/dance music generation (and don’t say that Daft Punk aren’t the forefathers of the EDM movement), while Sleater-Kinney carried on the riot grrrl spirit of the early Nineties (and were the rightful heirs to The Runaways, who also deserve an induction).

Pop? Rap? Country? The Eighties? The Seventies?

The “rock” enthusiasts always scream about it, but pop music and rap/hip-hop are genres that have imprinted themselves on the fabric of rock and roll. Thus, the best that these musical stylings have must be remembered. For pop, you have Destiny’s Child (and you don’t think that the Rock Hall would not salivate over a Beyonce-led reunion on Induction Night?) and Mary J. Blige. But it is Mariah Carey that most would consider the most likely nominee to be inducted into the Rock Hall.

The litany of rap artists and acts that should be considered is led by Snoop Dogg. The Doggfather continues to have an impact on culture and the music world – NBC just tapped the man to be a part of the coverage of the 2024 Olympics…what else is needed beyond that and his ample skills on the mic? Toss into the mix Dr. Dre (could put him and Snoop in together, if you want), Queen Latifah (think she was more deserving of entry than Missy Elliott), Nas, Arrested Development (covers Lauryn Hill, too), Outkast, Wu-Tang Clan, or P. Diddy, and we’ve barely scratched the surface of the rap/hip-hop hierarchy.

The screeching from the “rock” set was loud with Dolly Parton in 2022 and got even louder with Willie Nelson in 2023. The basic fact is that, without country music, you DO NOT HAVE ROCK AND ROLL. Thus, let’s get those legends from country music – Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Garth Brooks – and give them their kudos (Cline especially – a whole host of women in the industry owe her a monster debt of gratitude).

If you want to break it down by decades, the Eighties gave us INXS, The Pixies, the late Sinead O’Connor, and many others (including such “second induction” nominee choices like Don Henley, Sting, and Phil Collins). The Seventies? They haven’t been totally picked clean, as bands like Motorhead, Thin Lizzy, DEVO, Television, MC5, and New York Dolls are all still out there. The Sixties? Well…let’s let that one alone.

So, now that we have broken it down…who do I think will be there? How’s this for a list?

Warren Zevon
Joy Division/New Order
Soundgarden
Iron Maiden
Fiona Apple
Beck
Oasis
Sleater-Kinney
Daft Punk
Snoop Dogg/Dr. Dre
Mariah Carey
Destiny’s Child
Patsy Cline
Garth Brooks
Thin Lizzy
DEVO
Don Henley
Sting

That’s a pretty strong Nomination Class if you ask me!

Toss in such notables as “Big Mama” Thornton and John Coltrane for Influencers (and, what the hell…let’s give Frank Sinatra and Neil Sedaka a nod too), “Wolfman” Jack, “Mutt” Lange, and Rick Rubin for the Ahmet Ertegun Award, and “Weird” Al Yankovic and Paul Rodgers for Musical Excellence, and I think you’d have a damn good Class of 2024 set up. Alas, we will see what the Nomination Committee produces at the start of February, and then we can debate who should be the next inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Who Will Be the Nominees for the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Part III: The Forgotten Ones

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honored its Induction Class of 2022 last Saturday, a stirring list of performers that saw one of the most diverse classes in Hall history enshrined. Now, however, it is time to shift our view to the nomination process for the Class of 2023, which will probably be announced in late January or early February. In the final part of our series on the prospective 2023 class, I am going to look at those who might have fallen through the cracks in the Hall’s pursuit of rock and roll’s Parthenon.

Here’s the thing with those who have “fallen through the cracks.” In some cases, they are extremely borderline calls. The Hall has already gone through much of the early history of rock and roll and pulled the crème of the crop from the rosters. Anyone that is left is a tremendously flawed candidate – they may have been great at the moment but, compared to the overall history of rock and roll, they have faded in significance (that’s right…we see you over there in the corner, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, and Badfinger, among MANY others).

Thus, this means that the Fifties are done. There will not be another performer inducted into the Hall from that decade unless they are named through non-voting methods. That goes for the Sixties too – that decade has been thoroughly gleaned and cleaned of viable candidates for the Hall. The Seventies are getting close to that point also.

Think about it for a second – those artists that came out in 1985 have been eligible for the Hall since 2010. In many cases, they haven’t even received consideration for nomination, let alone induction. That’s why the Hall Induction Classes since 2020 have seen artists and groups from the Eighties and Nineties dominate the election process – The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Tupac and Biggie, and many others, including Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo (and let me note here – I was glad to hear that my long-standing contention that Benatar was holding up her induction until they also included her husband Giraldo was true!).

Here in this segment, I’m also going to include those artists that usually send the “RAWK” people into a spasmatic fit. That means country artists, pop princes and princesses, R&B crooners and groups, and rappers. Whether you like it or not, all those genres (and plenty of others) are a part of the rock and roll umbrella. As such, the best from those segments of the tree should be honored as a part of the rock and roll family – anything else would be disingenuous in an examination of “rock and roll.”

With the prerequisites set for Part III, let’s get started!

The Hall is known for putting out some nominations that make the average person say, “what the fuck?” or even question the Nomination Committee’s sanity. In the past, the picks of Fela Kuti and Sister Rosetta Tharpe fell into that category. Now, Tharpe is in the Hall (deservedly) and Kuti should be (and probably will, through the non-voting categories, this year or next). But who is that choice this time around?

I have two potential candidates in that arena that reach back into the foundations of rap. Long credited with the creation of the genre, DJ Kool Herc and Coke La Rock were the Brooklyn duo who were the first practitioners of “rap” styling. Herc would spin the discs on the turntable to provide the backbeat while La Rock spoke over the bass lines, detailing life in the inner cities and the struggles that were faced by those in dire situations. There was also a great deal of braggadocio, which was a staple of early rap. Any rap artist in the Hall now, and several rock acts also, owe a debt of gratitude to these men for their work.

Continuing in the rap vein, to this point in Hall history there have only been male rap artists that have been inducted. This is the year that the Nomination Committee should take care of that lack of female representation by nominating Queen Latifahm Missy Elliott, or MC Lyte for induction. Both ladies have been the benchmark that female rap artists have been judged against and for good reason – they are the pinnacle of the genre.

With the induction of Dolly Parton in 2022 (and, I’ll be honest here, I think Dolly might have been a WTF nomination that just happened to garner more support than the Hall expected), this opens the door for a plethora of country artists to get their due from the Hall. First on that list would be Willie Nelson, who has penned some of the greatest tunes in the history of music. His “outlaw” persona has always gone against the grain of the staid country establishment, making him more “rock and roll” than some “RAWK” artists and groups that have already been inducted.

The other from the country pool to be duly recognized would be Patsy Cline. Cline set the standard for a female vocalist in the early Sixties, regardless of the genre that you’re speaking of. Her life was cut tragically short, otherwise who knows what greatness would have come out of her. There are plenty of people who have been inducted into the Hall that would vouch wholeheartedly for the inclusion of Cline in the Hall.

If the “RAWK” crowd isn’t howling and hyperventilating by this point, they will after the next couple of passages. Even though she wouldn’t be my first choice for induction into the Hall, Mariah Carey punches all the boxes when it comes to being worthy of being a member of the Hall. A record-breaking performer, with crystal-clear vocals that have been the benchmark of excellence for years, and a legacy of success state that Carey should be considered if not inducted into the Hall.

There are a couple of R&B groups that would also be worthy of consideration. The Spinners are an outside choice for induction, but The Commodores would be an even more logical selection. What might stop The Commodores from receiving their due is the induction in 2022 of their de facto leader, Lionel Richie. Here’s a shocker for you too…The Fifth Dimension is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame! That should be rectified tout de suite.

With all these artists and groups mentioned, there are still viable rock artists and groups that bear mentioning for induction. There’s a whole list of singer/songwriters from the Seventies – Jim Croce, Harry Chapin, Nilsson, Dan Fogelberg, Warren Zevon, Jimmy Buffett – that would be worthy considerations. There are bands such as WAR and Blood, Sweat, and Tears, that have been overlooked. And hard rock/metal’s list of talent might overshine everyone on this list – Thin Lizzy, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer…I could go on, but I would just be making our metalhead friends angry!

The thing is, in a year when there isn’t a wealth of FYE (first-year eligible) contenders that will be automatic choices for induction (like Eminem in 2022, or Foo Fighters in 2021), that is the time to try to clear some of the backlogs from your rolls. 2023 is one of those years that the Hall gets a chance to reexamine some of those from the past that might be worthy of consideration and give them their shot for induction. The more time that goes by, the chances grow smaller for these artists and groups to be recognized.

So, let’s choose some of those “forgotten ones” to include here in 2023. How about:

Willie Nelson
DJ Kool Herc and Coke La Rock
Queen Latifah
Motorhead
Warren Zevon
Mariah Carey
The Commodores
The Fifth Dimension
Patsy Cline

And these are our prior selections from Part I and Part II for the Nomination Class of 2023 for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:

Rage Against the Machine
New York Dolls
Kate Bush
Dave Matthews Band
John Prine
Jane’s Addiction
Fiona Apple
Jewel
Sheryl Crow
Korn
Liz Phair

Not too shabby a list, huh? But I am sure that there are some selections that I might have missed, and I am always open to hearing other suggestions! It’s also a 20-person nomination class; in the past, the Nomination Committee has usually kept the number between 15-18, so I am probably going to be disappointed in a couple of areas – at least!

We’ve got a few months to debate this issue, however. The Nomination Committee usually discusses potential nominees over the course of the year, but its pace picks up after the Induction Ceremonies. Usually, by the end of January/beginning of February (in 2022, the nominees were announced on February 2), the Hall will announce who is under consideration for induction. Then the game begins again as to who will be a part of the Induction Class of 2023 for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.