Despite its name, the historic Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame has opened its door to several influential rappers, an ideological shift that began with 2007's induction of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Following the iconic legacy act, the Hall Of Fame moved to include Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, N.W.A and Tupac Shakur into their ranks. Of course, countless influential acts have been left on the outside looking in; is it not time for Hip-Hop to open their own Hall Of Fame? Until that time, however, it remains exciting to see legendary rappers preserved in such a historical establishment.
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Today, the new batch of 2020 nominations for the Hall have been revealed, including one notable hip-hop presence: The Notorious B.I.G. As tallied by NPR, Biggie joins the ranks of Whitney Houston, Kraftwerk, The Doobie Brothers, Judas Priest, Dave Matthews Band, Pat Benatar, Depeche Mode, Judas Priest, MC5, Motörhead, Nine Inch Nails, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden, T. Rex and Thin Lizzy.
As of now, it remains unknown whether Big will make the final cut - that much will be decided in January of 2020. Yet seeing as Pac has already been inducted, and they remain two sides of a dichotomous coin for many hip-hop fans, it seems like an inevitability. Not to mention, Big's own artistic merit, a quality that stretched far beyond his years. For those wondering about criteria, the Hall Of Fame dictates that an artist must have released their first recording twenty-five years ago, which means those rappers who do make it will be closer to elder statesmen. Fingers crossed for Biggie!
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