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Whitney Houston, Notorious B.I.G. Among 16 Nominees For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

Whitney Houston was nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
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Whitney Houston was nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees for its newest class of inductees on Tuesday morning: 16 artists and groups ranging from the late Whitney Houston to German synth pioneers Kraftwerk to rap royalty in the form of the late Notorious B.I.G.

The 2020 nominees also include Dave Matthews Band, Pat Benatar, Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Judas Priest, MC5, Motörhead, Nine Inch Nails, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden, T. Rex and Thin Lizzy.

In order to be considered eligible, artists or bands must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years ago. Of this year's nominees, nine are first-timers on the ballot — some of them acts that came of age in the 1990s, and some legacy artists who have yet to be included on the Rock Hall's roster.

The 2020 inductees will be announced in January; the next ceremony will take place in Cleveland on May 2.


The Complete List Of 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees

  • Pat Benatar
  • Dave Matthews Band
  • Depeche Mode
  • The Doobie Brothers
  • Whitney Houston
  • Judas Priest
  • Kraftwerk
  • MC5
  • Motörhead
  • Nine Inch Nails
  • The Notorious B.I.G.
  • Rufus featuring Chaka Khan
  • Todd Rundgren
  • Soundgarden
  • T.Rex
  • Thin Lizzy
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    Anastasia Tsioulcas is a reporter on NPR's Arts desk. She is intensely interested in the arts at the intersection of culture, politics, economics and identity, and primarily reports on music. Recently, she has extensively covered gender issues and #MeToo in the music industry, including backstage tumult and alleged secret deals in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against megastar singer Plácido Domingo; gender inequity issues at the Grammy Awards and the myriad accusations of sexual misconduct against singer R. Kelly.
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