Jay Z, Madonna, George Michael and Babyface amongst others were nominated for the Songwriters Hall of Fame. If Jay Z is inducted, he would be the first rapper to be a part of the prestigious music organization. The list of nominees for 2017 were announced this past Thursday (Oct. 20) a day before it was set to officially be announced.
Jay Z joins the likes of Bryan Adams, Vince Gill, Max Martin, Kool & the Gang amongst others according to Billboard. Members are able to vote for three of the songwriters who are not performing at the event up to Dec. 16. In the end, five songwriters or songwriting groups will be inducted at the official gala in New York on June 15, 2017.
Cat Stevens, Sly Stone, Chicago, Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne and David Gates join the list of performing nominees. Non-performing nominees include Kenny Nolan, Randy Goodrum, Tony Macaulay, William “Mickey” Stevenson, Allee Willis, Maury Yeston, and Paul Overstreet. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan (who passed away last year) are amongst the songwriting duos nominated.
A songwriter must have been working in the industry for at least 20 years before they can be inducted, and Jay Z hits the mark, as he released debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in 1996. Some of his biggest hits in the last 20 years include “Big Pimpin” and “Empire State of Mind.”
The rapper also recently was ousted from the controversy that he and collaborator Frank Ocean allegedly stole their song “Made In America," which was featured on joint album Watch the Throne, with Ocean singing the hook. The two were sued by New York based musician Joel McDonald back in 2014, and a court recently ruled that the two songs were not similar enough for a lawsuit. Other defendants named in the suit were Roc-A-Fella Records, Def Jam Music, Universal Music Group and producer Mike Dean.
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