The Syndicate

G-Man wrote: ↑Sat Feb 12, 2022 5:43 pm I missed this somehow this year. Here is the current slate of artists nominated for induction later this year:

Beck*
Pat Benatar
Kate Bush
Devo
Durran Durran*
Eminem*
Eurythmics
Judas Priest
Fela Kuti
MC5
New York Dolls
Dolly Parton*
Rage Against the Machine
Lionel Richie*
Carly Simon*
A Tribe Called Quest*
Dionne Warwick

*=First-time Nominee



Breakdown by Decade:

1960s
Dionne Warwick (1963)
MC5 (1969)
Dolly Parton* (1967)


1970s
Kate Bush (1978)
Devo (1978)
Judas Priest (1974)
Fela Kuti (1970)
New York Dolls (1973)
Pat Benatar (1979)
Carly Simon* (1971)


1980s
Duran Duran* (1981)
Eurythmics (1981)
Lionel Richie* (1981/82)


1990s
Beck* (1993)
Eminem* (1996)
Rage Against the Machine (1992)
A Tribe Called Quest* (1990)



With the Hall of Fame expanding their Musical Excellence and Early Influence categories recently, this feels like a very wide open filed of nominees. I still get the feeling that Rage Against the Machine can't (and probably shouldn't) get in before MC5 gets in. Eminem is probably a lock, even if his eligibility this year comes courtesy of his first album that few people even own or know about. I think Dolly could get in. She had crossover hits and had a significant impact as a female artist, regardless of genre. A lot of the 70s nominees have been up for consideration before, so that decade may feel a little soft. Devo is a little bit of a stretch perhaps, and New York Dolls would be considered a fluke if the members hadn't gone on to do other things, so I can see some reluctance to induct them yet. Judas Priest is there to appease the metalheads, even if they'll probably have to wait another year or two for serious consideration.

You wouldn't hear any arguments from me about Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Beck, or A Tribe Called Quest getting inducted, but I doubt that the HoF is ready to get too 80s and 90s heavy. They're still stuck in the past and playing catchup on mid-range artists that are household names even if they weren't the cream of the crop.