The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation has announced its nominees for 2024 induction. The list includes 15 nominees from all kinds of genres and subgenres. Are all of them rock stars? Of course, not! The Rock Hall has long lost track of what the difference is between pop and rock.
The finalists will be named in April and the ceremony to induct them will take place at some point in the fall in Cleveland, Ohio, the home of the Rock Hall museum. If you have not been there, the building is very interesting to look at and right on Lake Erie. Just go in the summer when the weather is better.
The induction ceremony will stream for the second straight year on Disney+ and then air on ABC at some later date. The Rock Hall is not exactly great at working out specific details ahead of time. You think being more so would help them grow their brand. But which 2024 nominees should actually get inducted? Here are a few opinions beginning with those who should definitely not be inducted.
Who should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024?
Level: Turn my back on you
- Lenny Kravitz
- Sade
- Cher
- Dave Matthews Band
The shame here is that I really like Kravitz and the Dave Matthews Band. I don't dislike Sade and how can one not respect Cher. As far as the last two musical artists mentioned, I simply do not think Sade has had a great impression on musical artists moving forward to fit the "pioneer" model of being an influencer, and her music certainly is not rock.
Cher is an icon but is much more pop than rock. One could argue her influence on other bands over the years, but possibly more in the duo of Sonny and Cher. The issue there is that the duo has not been nominated so while would the singular artist be inducted?
Kravitz is more fashion icon but has not had a musical career worthy of being with immortals. He is a great entertainer, but one of the best ever? No. The same could be said of Dave Matthews who stopped being as important part of the music scene as he was in the 1990s and this seems intentional. And good for him for doing so.
Level: Against all odds should they get into the Rock Hall
- Mary J. Blige
- Mariah Carey
- Eric B. & Rakim
- Foreigner
Three of these artists might be considered influencers and then there is Foreigner. I could have easily moved Foreigner to the back of the pack on this list but that would be short-sighted. In the 1970s and early 1980s, they were a popular band that released a bunch of good-selling records. If we were discussing Foreigner in 1990, things might seem differently. No, they do not deserve to be in the Rock Hall, but they should not be dismissed out of hand.
Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey are kind of in the same hole. Both have been popular with Carey worthy of being inducted into a Pop Music Hall of Fame (and museum; let's not forget the museum!), but has she really influenced rock artists very much? I would say no. In fact, Blige likely has done more of that and has a collaboration with U2 under her belt on the song, "One."
Eric B. & Rakim? Not rock musicians, obviously, but influencers? Definitely. Maybe more than almost any other 2024 nominee, except two. If they get inducted it would be because of that and only that.
Level: Definitely maybe but unlikely for the Rock Hall
- Jane's Addiction
- Kool & the Gang
- Sinead O'Connor
- Peter Frampton
This is a freaky group. Not one is like the other and yet every single artist has merit. There is potentially one fatal flaw of each that should keep them out of the Rock Hall this year. The truth is that the Rock Hall is going to induct artists who do not truly belong. No offense to Dolly Parton, for instance, but even she was confused about why she was chosen for induction in 2023.
Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction might be more worthy singularly than the band is as a whole. Farrell began Lollapalooza in 1991 which helped a lot of lesser-known bands get their music into a much more public forum. While Jane's Addiction does have a couple of good albums and dancy tunes, are they really worthy of immortal status?
Sinead O'Connor probably makes it in. Did she have a consistent run of top-selling albums and remain on the world stage after making a mockery of a great Prince song? (I mean, she turned "Nothing Compares 2 U" into a popular track.) Frampton is known for Frampton Comes Alive but not for much else. Kool & the Gang might get in for being an influencer (and putting out about 100 great songs).
Level: Nothing (or very few) compares to you in the Rock Hall
- Oasis
- Ozzy Osbourne
- A Tribe Called Quest
At least one of these artists is probably not going to make induction. Why? Because I am thinking they should. I think the view I have of what is worthy to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame differs from the people who run the Foundation. I like and care about rock and roll and the Foundation cares about who sold a bunch of records and trying to be weird but not dangerous. If the Rock Hall truly was committed to including great rock acts then why are the Smiths, Dead Kennedys, and Iron Maiden not in the Hall?
Not having Ozzy Osbourne in the Hall yet makes me think he will not get in this year either. Think about that for a second. One of the most important figures in hard rock music is not in the Hall. Why? There is no real logical answer.
Oasis is probably too English to be inducted. Did their popularity cross oceans and were they the biggest band in England for most of the 1990s? Yes. That probably means nothing to Hall voters. Had Oasis been American, though, they likely would already be in.
There should be little debate how much A Tribe Called Quest influenced 1990s alternative music. They fused hip-hop and rock without ever venturing fully into the latter. That takes inspired talent that is able to shape the musical landscape which is exactly what happened with Quest.