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This is by far the most diverse and adventurous slate of nominees in recent memory.

One is an African legend.
Some of the women nominated are long overdue.
And only a churl will snipe at the idea of nominating hip-hop stars.
The story of the 2021 nominations is commerciality.
That era has now ended.
The nominees below were decided by the Halls nominating committee.
The in-person induction ceremony was canceled last year and insteadheld virtually in November.
guys who slept with other guys.
He colored his hair and sometimes appeared made up like a wood nymph.
He is long overdue for induction; first nominated two years ago, he didnt get in.
The Go-Gos
There are two important but separate issues when it comes to women and the Hall.
(The cover line:Go-Gos Put Out.)
That will be an area to watch for Sykess influence.
But she also lacks a rock sensibility so did Houston.
No one saw this nomination coming.
In 1997, he died, tragically, of complications from AIDS, at 58.
Unfortunately, most of them went to Johansons first solo album at the end of the decade.
A nomination for the band 20 years ago went nowhere.
If you buy into her shtick, shes a titan whose work reflects an undiluted personal vision.
She was nominated in 2018 but didnt get voted in.
Iron Maiden comes later in metals evolution and seems much less likely an inductee than either of those.
Devo
Back after being nominated in 2019 and not getting in.
In this way he is the epitome of corporate hip-hop.
Jay-Z is careful to a fault.
But for the last part of the 90s and most of the 2000s, Jays carefulness and emptiness ruled.
Still, he probably deserves to be in the Rock and Hall of Fame at some point.
But not in his first year of eligibility.
Chaka Khan
Khan and her original group, Rufus, have been nominated six times.
Dionne Warwick
Theres always been tension in the Hall between popularity and artistic value.
She has a gorgeous voice and is a beloved figure who hasrecently been on fire on Twitter.
Rage Against the Machine
Guitarist Tom Morello is an amazing playerand thoughtful activist.
Morellos close to the Hall, however, and the nominations for him just keep coming.
(This is Rages third.)
LL Cool J
Another perennial choice, LL has been nominated five times over the last decade.
The voting committee seemingly just isnt interested in inducting him, and neither am I.