Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2017 Nominees Include Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur

Long live rock ’n’ roll! The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2017 nominees have been announced and iconic artists including Janet Jackson, the late Tupac Shakur, Pearl Jam and Journey topped the list.

The rest of the hopeful inductees include Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, Jane’s Addiction, The Cars, The Zombies, Yes, Bad Brains, Chaka Khan, Chic, J. Geils Band, Joan Baez, Joe Tex, Kraftwerk, MC5 and Steppenwolf.

The winners will be announced in December and officially inducted at a ceremony at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center in April 2017.

In order to be eligible for nomination, the musician or group must have released their first single or album 25 years ago. This is the first year the late Tupac Shakur, who released his 2Pacalypse Now album in 1991, has been eligible. If inducted, he will become just the sixth rapper or rap group to be honored by the Cleveland-based museum. It’s also the first year Pearl Jam, which debuted their album Ten in 1991, qualifies for a nomination.

Other artists have made the ballot multiple times, but have yet to cinch the deal. This marks the second consecutive year Jackson — who became eligible in 2007 — has been nominated.

More than 800 artists, historians and music industry insiders vote to see which nominees will make the cut. Fans will also have the chance to vote from now until December 6 at RockHall.com. The top five artists with the most votes from the public will make up a fan’s ballot, which will help determine the class of 2017.

Earlier this year, N.W.A., Steve Miller, Cheap Trick, Chicago and Deep Purple were inducted as the 2016 class. 

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