It’s that time of year again, kids! Yep, the time when fan groups of many legendary acts are collectively pissed off from learning their faves were omitted from the list of nominees for the ‘Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.’
Despite amassing unrivaled sales, accolades, Billboard stats, impact, and industry recognition in their respective rights, a group of highly deserving individuals always find themselves absent from the round of potential inductees.
Curious to know what diva syndicate is missing from the “class of 2018” set? You guessed it, the usuals: pop icons Janet Jackson, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Mariah Carey. That’s not all:
First, congratulations are in order this year’s list of nominees who include Sister Rosetta Tharpe, civil rights activist/singer Nina Simone, hip hop pioneer LL Cool J, and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (the group, not the diva as a solo act). They join 16 other acts up for consideration for this year’s ceremony. Click here to cast your fan vote until December 5th.
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The victory for Nina and Chaka (technically) is notable, but small considering the ongoing cry for more female representation in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – especially women of color. As noted in our 2014 post on this same subject matter (click here to read that), acts like Queen of Rock N’ Roll Tina Turner (eligible since 1999), Janet Jackson (eligible since 2007), the band Sade (eligible since 2009) Whitney Houston (eligible since 2010), Celine Dion (eligible since 2015), and Mariah Carey (eligible since 2015) have all been passed over for acts that had significantly less impact on the industry. This, not even taking into account their respective sales. Ay yi yi!
(breathe Rashad…just breathe). Ok, I’m off my soap box.
P.S. Did you know legendary female singers Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Cher, and Bette Midler have never been inducted?
Your thoughts?