Slain rapper Tupac Shakur, pop star
Janet Jackson and protest singer Joan Baez are among 19 musicians newly
nominated for induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
British
progressive rock band Yes, American rockers Pearl Jam, metal band
Steppenwolf, English electronic act Depeche Mode and funk singer Chaka
Khan have also been included on the list, which will be voted on by fans
and music industry experts.
Artists must have released their
first recording at least 25 years ago to be eligible for nomination. The
names of the 2017 inductees will be announced in December once voting
is complete.
Shakur was killed at age 25 in an unsolved 1996
drive-by shooting in Las Vegas that has only boosted his fame. The
Harlem-born rapper, who sang about social inequity and black struggles,
is regarded as one of the most influential voices in hip hop music,
spurring the release of documentaries, movies and a Broadway musical.
Shakur's
nomination reflects the growing acceptance of rap as a force in
mainstream music and follows the Hall of Fame induction in 2016 of
California rappers N.W.A. as only the fifth hip hop act ever to be voted
in.
Baez, 75, became a voice of protest in the tumultuous 1960s,
becoming one of the first singers to promote the songs of Bob Dylan and
singing at the 1969 Woodstock festival. Her performances of the
traditional song We Shall Overcome in the early 1960s became the anthem
of the civil rights movement.
Jackson, 50, the youngest child of
the famed Jackson singing family, is one of the best-known pop singers
in the world but is still waiting to be inducted after first becoming
eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2007.
Other artists nominated
include Bad Brains, Chic, Electric Light Orchestra, J. Geils Band,
Jane's Addiction, Joe Tex, Journey, Kraftwerk, MC5, The Cars, and The
Zombies.