The 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class has been announced. For the second straight year there will be a rapper or rap group in the mix as Tupac is being inducted after N.W.A. was last year. Joining Tupac are Pearl Jam, Journey, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and Joan Baez.
Chic's Nile Rodgers will be given the Award for Music Excellence, though his Chic still aren't being inducted.
Names like Janet Jackson, Depeche Mode, Bad Brains, Kraftwerk, Jane's Addiction, MC5 and The Zombies will all have to wait another year to find out if they will be inducted.
Artists only become eligible for the Hall 25 years after the release of their first single or album. Pearl Jam and Tupac were inducted their first year on the ballot.
The 2017 ballot was a little different from the past. This year a fan vote was tallied alongside over 800 ballots from historians, artists and music industry members. Also the Rock Hall will only honor specific members of each band, instead of the full ensemble of members who have played for the group. For example, Pearl Jam have had five drummers over their time as a band, but only current drummer Matt Cameron and founding member Dave Krusen are eligible for induction.
Induction ceremonies are also an opportunity for potential occasions for band members to reunite. Journey hasn't performed in public since 1991 and Yes hasn't performed together since 2004.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 7 and then an edited version will be telecast on HBO a short time later. There will also be a radio broadcast on SiriusXM. Tickets will be announced for the ceremony in January.
