Having seven votes is the bureaucratic version of going electric. For its 2024 ceremony, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is now giving voters the chance to select a septet of inductees on their ballots, an increase from the long reign of five. “It totally changes the game,” one voter says. “You have to make less difficult choices.” How that increase will affect the newest class, however, remains to be seen. The Rock Hall hasn’t indicated if a correlation between more votes and more inductees will occur, and if it does, how they would be dispersed among its various categories. Still, the switch has gone over positively, which isn’t always the case for the organization’s decisions.
But back to the actual nominees. Fifteen artists make up the current shortlist, which includes everyone from Prince of Darkness Ozzy Osbourne to sworn enemy of the Chicago River, Dave Matthews Band. And divas — lots of divas. “Some nominees seem to be there to help drive the television broadcast,” another voter explains. “There’s a desire to get very big stars to keep eyes on it. I get it. You need to keep interest up somehow. But the overall ballot feels less than the individual parts.”
With the 2024 class set to be revealed in late April, per tradition, we’ve gathered two members to dish under the umbrella of anonymity. Voter 1 has been casting ballots for 14 years, while Voter 2 has been involved for 16. As one of them urges us to remember about the Rock Hall: “They don’t have rules. There are no rules. They make up their own rules.”
Mary J. Blige
Voter 1: She’s somebody who I can see getting in. I respect her and she’s an absolute talent. She’s somewhat of a blindspot for me in terms of knowing the overall career. I haven’t diligently kept up. She’s an R&B act that rock guys like. There’s a strong hip-hop connection so it feels okay to vote for her in a way that it might not be for ’80s R&B singers who haven’t been inducted, such as Luther Vandross or Anita Baker. I would be happy to see her get in but she’s not going to make my ballot. She’s not someone I have a personal interest in.
Voter 2: I’m going to vote for her. I’m so glad to see her back on the ballot. She’s had such an incredible career — you absolutely hear her in the tradition of great soul singers. Coming out of hip-hop and the way she sustained her career as an album and singles artist? Yeah, she’s a no-brainer.
Mariah Carey
Voter 1: Here’s where the matter of taste comes in. Mariah Carey takes the next step from Whitney Houston. The pop world would’ve looked different without her — the way-over-the-top vocals that almost exist outside of a song. Influence wise, I certainly get it. My problem is I don’t care for much of her music. From the start, she was an industry darling. She was with the president of her record label at the beginning of her career and it always feels like she’s been elevated to this standard. There’s only a handful of singles I really like and I find each of her albums are a bit of a slog to get through. She’s not getting my vote and she’s a hard one for me to root for.
Voter 2: I’m excited to see her name. The Rock Hall has been trying to put these “pop singers” more on the ballot these last few years, which freaks out some of its constituency. I think those types of artists belong. Mariah’s not going to get my vote, because there’s other people I feel more strongly about. I’m looking backwards at people who still haven’t been taken care of. But, my God. The talent and reach. Look at how long she sustained her career and what she means to people. If Whitney Houston is in, Mariah Carey is in. These big figures whose voices tower over us. She’s worthy. I always love it when women pop singers are on the ballot in a way that pisses people off. It’s not rock! It’s always fun when you get some people to yell that.
Cher
Voter 1: Her fame is bigger than her discography in some ways. That said, she has had very iconic singles for each decade. Her biggest hits transcend the overall mediocrity. Well, that’s a little rough, but her records are pretty spotty. Her tentpole hits have built endurance. She doesn’t need my support on the ballot. I can see the powers that be juicing the induction for her to be inducted, like when Ringo Starr got in a few years ago. She said she doesn’t want to be inducted, but that provides drama. It’s a good storyline. I think she would show up. Cher deserves it in terms of fame, but artistically, I’ll repeat that it’s spotty from “I Got You Babe” to “Believe.”
Voter 2: I don’t think I’m going to vote for Cher and I’m trying to think about why. She belongs in the Rock Hall. I just feel stronger about other people. She’s a career that I lived through — I was a teenager when she was doing “Half-Breed” and “Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves.” She’s always been around rock and roll. She’s on these great, weird Sonny & Cher hits. She’s a backup singer on Phil Spector records. She recorded an album in Muscle Shoals when she was transitioning into her career. She comes from a generation whom the Rock Hall ignored. For a big part of its life as an institution, they didn’t define the work female singers did as “rock.” I’m sure Cher carries some of that sting.
Dave Matthews Band
Voter 1: I’ve warmed to them over the years. There’s something excessive about Dave’s voice more so than the band. He can have these histrionic runs. The Rock Hall hasn’t done well by jam bands outside of the Grateful Dead. Dave Matthews Band is weirdly a jam band — they groove for a very long time. He has a reputation of being a nice and good guy, which helps. Also, anything that’s considered alternative rock or adjacent hasn’t done well. I consider Dave Matthews Band to be in that area. It would be weird if they got in before other bands of their ilk.
Voter 2: The B-team. They don’t bug me, but they’re boring to me. I know they mean a lot to people, particularly as a live act. But I don’t get it. I have no ill will, it’s just two thumbs down.
Eric B. & Rakim
Voter 1: Rakim is one of the greatest rappers ever. This is a surefire name on my ballot and a nomination I care about. Artistically, they’re deep and influential. I don’t think they’re going to get in, though.
Voter 2: They’re absolutely getting my vote. They’re so important in the evolution of hip-hop. The number of artists that cite them as essential building blocks are countless. If you’re going to have hip-hop in the Rock Hall, you have to have Eric B. & Rakim. But I’m worried they won’t get the votes. The institution has been using side categories in recent years to take care of those artists, like Chaka Khan, who can’t seem to get in through the regular vote. Maybe this is a case where they’ll get in that way. You just can’t tell the story of hip-hop without them.
Foreigner
Voter 1: Foreigner is the epitome of “anonymous classic rock.” They’ve been touring over the past few years without any original members and it doesn’t seem that anyone minds. It’s a brand, not a band. The brand gets a boost by being in the Rock Hall. Hooray, I guess. They made a handful of good records and 4 is great, but that had a lot to do with their producers. Mutt Lange produced 4. He captured the sound of pre-MTV album rock. Are you looking to have representatives of certain strains of music or aren’t you supposed to induct someone with big cultural importance? Foreigner is the last vestiges of the classic rockers holding on within the nominating committee. They’ll probably get in because of it.
Voter 2: I won’t vote for Foreigner. I’ve lived through all of their hits — there were a lot of them. But nothing was innovative. When I think about ’70s hard-rock bands, they’re in a league below the rest. There are some fun songs in there. “Feels Like the First Time” and “I Want to Know What Love Is” are karaoke standards. They’re just so unworthy to me. I’m probably too invested in the Rock Hall sometimes, but when I think, historically, the artists that still aren’t in, and they’re going to put these guys in? I suppose there’s a valid argument that as there’s less and less straight-up hard rock of the classic era on the ballot, maybe Foreigner goes in. But you’re scraping the barrel.
Peter Frampton
Voter 1: I’m shocked he’s never been on the ballot and I’d be equally shocked if he doesn’t get in. He’s a perfect contender because he grew up in the British invasion scene with a lot of important peers. Peter is a childhood friend of David Bowie and he gave him an assist with Never Let Me Down, which helped build his reputation back up as a guitarist. He’s played with everybody. Frampton Comes Alive! helped shift an important aspect of rock and pop culture at the time. It inaugurated the double album as a popular piece of media.
Voter 2: Poor Peter. He won’t be getting my vote, but I imagine he could get in. He’s played ball with the Rock Hall in recent years and he’s a benevolent figure. Frampton Comes Alive! was such a freak thing. He wasn’t very well-known when that record came out and for whatever reason the stars aligned. Everybody had that record when I was in high school. Every few years I’ll put it on again, and I’ll ask myself, What was it? It’s inoffensive rock of the ’70s. He’s a good guitar player and he’s a cool-looking dude. I don’t hear any innovation or influence. He was in Humble Pie, which is an interesting origin story, and you wonder what might’ve happened to him if Frampton Comes Alive! hadn’t blown up. It sort of ruined him, in a weird way. He’s fine. Fine just doesn’t get my vote.
Jane’s Addiction
Voter 1: I don’t like this band. They do have some influence on the emergence of alternative rock as a force in the ’90s. Perhaps it would’ve played out differently without Lollapalooza, but Perry Farrell had a big force there. They stand for all of the tiresome, sleazy aspects of Los Angeles. You see that in the caricature Dave Navarro became after Jane’s Addiction broke up. They were bigger after the breakup, really, and became more of a legend. I’ve always found their records to be a bit of a slog besides “Been Caught Stealing,” which is the one song that has a real snap to it. They’ve always gotten under my skin. They’re not getting my vote. Since there’s a limited amount of rock on this ballot, they could possibly get in. But I don’t understand why we have to get Jane’s Addiction before so many other alternative-rock and indie-rock bands. Where are the Pixies? Sonic Youth? The Replacements?
Voter 2: I think they’re worthy and super creative. Those records didn’t sound like stuff that came before. Their rhythms were interesting and they had distinctive visuals. It was before grunge, but wasn’t grunge. It was a new kind of sound. They’re a group that I want to spend a little more time digging back into their catalog to see where I land. They meant so much to people, and of course Lollapalooza was huge. I wouldn’t be sad if they got in.
Kool & the Gang
Voter 1: They’re a misunderstood band. Everybody knows the really big hits, like “Celebration” and “Jungle Boogie.” They spanned a big stretch of soul, R&B, disco, and funk from the ’70s onwards. They could really play it all and adapt to the decades. They have a bigger cultural footprint than most people realize, and I hope they’re not seen as frivolous three-hit wonders or something like that. I’ll likely be voting for them.
Voter 2: I’m very excited for Kool & the Gang and I’ll be voting for them. If you look at the history of inductees, like artists from the ’50s and ’60s, you have so many important Black artists that got in with their first ballot. But as you get into the ’70s, the way that the Rock Hall has defined “rock and roll” gets whiter and whiter. Kool & the Gang is one of those bands that gets missed and falls under this idea of, Oh well, that’s not rock, that’s funk. There’s a number of Black bands like that from the ’70s. I look at the Commodores and the Ohio Players. Everybody knows Kool & the Gang’s hit singles, but the albums also hold up. Those ’70s albums are incredible from front to back. They bring a mix of R&B, jazz, and funk, and then in the ’80s they adapted even further into new rhythms. They should’ve been in long ago and they absolutely get my vote.
Lenny Kravitz
Voter 1: I’ve enjoyed his music since I was a teenager, but he’s an absurd inclusion for the Rock Hall. He’s a one-man Rock Hall. He dabbles in a little of Jimi Hendrix, Curtis Mayfield, John Lennon, and Prince. He does it pretty well. He has a great ear and makes good melodies. But he’s a caricature of rock. Personally that’s what I enjoy about him because he does it well. It would just be a little silly to have him inducted. I’ll get shit for that, but whatever.
Voter 2: A hard no. Another member of the B-team. He’s a cool guy who has some cool songs. He plays the role of a rock star perfectly. He’s made a few nice records. I don’t see the influence. He seems more of a symbol of rock rather than something really new. How can you put Lenny Kravtiz and Kool & the Gang next to each other? It’s a joke.
Oasis
Voter 1: I’ll absolutely be voting for them. I unabashedly love Oasis. The band had a huge cultural impact not just in Britain but stretched across the world. “Wonderwall” has remained a pervasive hit and they’re far from being a one-hit wonder in America. As rock stars, Noel and Liam Gallagher are as good as anybody on this list, including Cher. I don’t think there’s a chance in hell Liam will show up. Noel might. Two of their main influences, the Jam and the Smiths, should be in there, but they didn’t work America the way Oasis did. I remember when Oasis toured with the Black Crowes — their presence far outweighed their peers. They’re rock stars, their records hold up, and they have influence.
Voter 2: I’m definitely considering voting for Oasis. They were a huge band in the U.K. and Europe and less so here. If you’re going to still induct guitar-driven bands of white guys, I’m unsure who embodies that better in the ’90s than Oasis. They were clearly influenced by the Beatles, Kinks, and Hollies. They had big anthemic songs that a ton of people reacted to. They left a huge explosion out there. Liam is such a loudmouth and you get the cool arguing between brothers, which is very rock and roll. It would be great if they showed up. I don’t consider myself to be a huge fan of them, but they embody a certain kind of rock band. I mean, look at the Foo Fighters. They went in way too early. Again, if you’re going to put value on guitar-driven bands, how do you leave out Oasis? It feels very American to do that.
Sinéad O’Connor
Voter 1: Unfortunately, people didn’t pay attention to her that much in the latter part of her life. She’s more beloved in her death than she was when she was alive. Now it’s easier to praise her because you can see the full arc of her career. She deserves it and I’m likely voting for her, but it’s hard to shake that if she was still alive in 2024 she wouldn’t be on the ballot.
Voter 2: I have mixed feelings about this. She did extraordinary work and I’d love to see her in the Rock Hall. I’ll very likely vote for her. I’m a little angry that she had to die to get on the ballot and I wonder if she would’ve made it if she hadn’t died. Why didn’t the Rock Hall want to honor her rebellious spirit before? I’m a little salty about it. It’s weird, right? Given all the bullshit she went through from all of us, I guess. What an electric performer with a unique voice. She had a willingness to be genuinely and recklessly brave onstage. She went out and said stuff about sexual abuse in the church, got pilloried for it, and it was all true. This sounds more dramatic than I mean, but part of me is like, The Rock Hall doesn’t deserve her.
Ozzy Osbourne
Voter 1: I think he’s had a real influence as a solo artist and his work is distinctive enough from Black Sabbath. That said, I have a problem with double-dipping inductees in general. I don’t necessarily think you have to be in twice — whether it’s Ozzy as a soloist and for Black Sabbath or Stevie Nicks as a soloist and for Fleetwood Mac. It feels weird. He’s not in good health, so the Rock Hall is recognizing this might be the last time they’re able to do something like this. He’s probably going to get in.
Voter 2: Ozzy is worthy on his own and there are plenty of people who know him without Black Sabbath. But there are so many artists that need to get in and he’s already in the Rock Hall. We don’t need to put him in a second time. That takes up another slot for somebody else who hasn’t gotten in at all like, say, Eric B. & Rakim. It’s also the Rock Hall’s way of pretending to care about metal when it doesn’t.
Sade
Voter 1: This nomination baffles me. Not in the sense of artistic quality, because Sade has been a consistently good band that has endured its popularity. But I never sensed there was strong support for them within the nominating committee — it’s British-European-centric R&B music that hasn’t gotten any honors from the Rock Hall before. I don’t know how they got in there and I can’t imagine there will be enough support. I like them, but I don’t feel strong enough to mark them on my ballot.
Voter 2: I was pleasantly shocked to see their name. Their catalogue is small but so good. Their mix of cool jazz and R&B is still captivating and sounds fresh to me. Nothing else sounded like that. I don’t think they have a chance, but it’s a creative and forward-thinking nomination.
A Tribe Called Quest
Voter 1: They’re fantastic and one of the pivotal hip-hop groups in the ’90s. I’ve voted for them twice and I’m getting worried they might be like Chic and keep showing up on the ballot without enough votes to get in. They captured a very specific point in time with their records, including We Got It From Here … Thank You 4 Your Service from a few years ago, which puts their whole career into perspective. Musically, they’re the greatest on this list. They’re a shoo-in and I don’t think they’re going to get in. How’s that for a bummer?
Voter 2: I love Tribe. They belong. I’m glad to see them back on the ballot, but it makes me worried that they won’t get the votes. I thought last year would be their year, but clearly the nomination committee will keep saying, “Hey, these guys are really important and we won’t stop pushing this.” They’re definitely getting my vote.
