Janet Jackson, The Cars, Cheap Trick Receive First Nominations for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are always a controversial topic with so many varying opinions out there, and this year looks to be no exception. The nominees were announced Thursday and included first timers Janet Jackson, The Cars and Cheap Trick, as well as notable two time nominees Nine Inch Nails and The Smiths.

Other nominees include N.W.A. (fresh off a blockbuster breaking biopic), Chic, Deep Purple, Chaka Khan, Chicago, Steve Miller, Yes, Los Lobos, The J.B.'s and The Spinners.

Artists are only made eligible for the coveted award 25 years after the artist or band's first released recording, according to the organization's stated induction process.

Chic has been nominated a record setting 10 times now, while others such as Pearl Jam just missed the criteria this year, as its debut album was released in August 1991, four months after the cut-off period. They'll have a chance in 2017.

Certain groups always advocate for artists in their specific genre they feel have been snubbed from the award. Alternative Nation notes that grunge acts such as Alice in Chains, Jane's Addiction and Soundgarden were not nominated today for their first year of eligibility.

Hip-hop acts that have strong evidence for their case include; A Tribe Called Quest and LL Cool J. One could also certainly argue for Judas Priest, Ozzy, The Pixies, The Cure and Moby, among many others that are starting to emerge as eligible candidates.

However, the line has to be drawn somewhere and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame generally only allows five artists entry each year. The internal committee chose the nominees but fans can have small part in who is actually inducted. You can cast your vote on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website or over at Rolling Stone to be considered among an international voting party of 600 artists, historians and music industry insiders.

Be sure to vote for your favorite celebrities at the 2015 MT Buzz Awards. If you share your vote on Twitter, using #MTBuzzys, then you will be automatically entered in our contest to win a $25 Amazon gift card.

Tags

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Janet jackson, Nine Inch Nails, The Smiths, N.W.A., Chic, Chicago, Chaka Khan, Deep purple, Yes, The Spinners, Cheap trick