2021 Rock Hall of Fame Nominations - Rankings & Predictions Edition

2021 Rock Hall of Fame

First off go to vote.rockhall.com to Vote

Fan standings — When DEVO is getting more votes than Jay-Z — the fan vote stinks

Top 5 at the moment — Feb 21, 2021 — Fela Kuti, Tina Turner, Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, Carole King

From 2017 Podcast —

LL Cool J did more for hip-hop then almost anybody else — he helped make it commercially viable. he pretty much invented the slow jam with “I need love”.

Going Back to Cali, Who do you love, "Doin’ it" and Mama Said Knock you out — murderer’s row of jams - plus Around the way girl, Headsprung, Hey lover, Phenomenon, Rock the Bells… my goodness he’s greatness in a can — and he’s been a TV star for like 20 years

Rage Against the Machine — too original, too politically relevant, too talented to be left out — invented a version Rap Hard-Rock and nobody really ever touched them

Tom Morello is a handsome Vin Diesel

So — really quickly — let’s go back to LL Cool J… everything I said in 2017 is still true BUT Jay-Z has taken Hip-Hop to another level… and he never really dropped off in terms of quality content for like 20 years

This is a good time to point out that there’s several bands/acts that are going to potentially cancel each other out (or become an either/or proposition)

Jay-Z vs. LL Cool J (HOVA!)

Overrated Punk / New Wave — DEVO vs. New York Dolls (NY Dolls, Man)

Dionne Warwick vs. Chaka Khan (too lose to call) — Also, Chaka sometimes gets nominated with Rufus. Give the nod to Dionne… But do yourself a favor and listen to “Like Sugar” by Chaka Khan it a SO DAMN FUEGO … WHEW!!! Bass-line is undeniable

Kate Bush vs. Carole King (gotta give it to Carole King— my over simplified reason — remakes of their songs … D’Angelo does a better job with This woman’s work than Kate Bush… Aretha Franklin did a better job than Carole King with “you make me feel like a natural women. When Aretha Franklin picks your song and makes it her own… you by extension are the winner...

Tina Turner vs. Mary J Blige — I can actually see both of these women getting in — But not this year… Tina takes it — Tina is also ALREADY A HALL OF FAMER from 1991 with Ike & Tina Turner. Let’s get her in there twice

Iron Maiden vs. The Go-Go’s — they are nothing alike — they both really don’t scream HALL OF FAMERS to me — not saying they’ll never get in. Not saying a don’t enjoy them both — but neither is in the top 5 or even top 10 of these nominations

Fela Kuti vs. Todd Rundgren — Fela is so damn unique. Todd gets nominated every year and never gets in — which means he’ll get the nod eventually — but not from me. Todd might have to start his own Hall of Fame for borderline HOF'ers

Rage Against the Machine vs. Foo Fighters — These two aren’t a lot a like either — i’m just out of comparisons. Both are great, both will get in at some point.

5 who should get in — Jay-Z, Tina Turner, Rage, Dionne Warwick, Fela Kuti (Meters award for a friend exposed me to them)

5 who will get in — NY Dolls, Carole King, Tina Turner, Iron Maiden, Foo Fighters

Grammy Count:

Tina Turner - 8 grammys, 25 nominations, 3 grammy HOF awards and a grammy life time achievement award.

Dionne Warwick - 5 grammy, 14 nominations, lifetime achievement award

Mary J - 9 Grammys, 31 nominations

Chaka Khan, 10 Grammys, 22 Nominations

Carole King - 4 Grammys, Nominations

Kate Bush - 3 nominations

Foo Fighters - 11 grammys, 27 nominations (Dave Grohl is a Hall of Famer)

Rage - 2 wins, 7 nominations

DEVO - 1 nomination

NY Dolls - 0

Janet Jackson deserves to be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame

Top Cities listening this weekend #2 The Philippines as a nation and the city of Cebu in the Philippines was #2 as well  

Movie stars who play themselves in rolls

Vin Diesel as Dom Torretto

NPH as himself in Harold & kumar/ Barry Stinson is that same character 

Al Pacino has played col frank spade since scent of a woman 

That's why DeNiro took the title belt 

Johnny Depp has been playing Capt Jack Sparrow for a decade 

Dwayne the Rock Johnson - basically always plays “The Rock” - but he did show some range in “Be Cool” back in the mid 2000s 

Nic Cage plays Nic Cage — that’s likely the best example 

Others?

Rock hall of fame acts that shouldn't be in?

There are 317 members of the hall of fame and this includes some producers and executives, but mostly performers - Just the A’s and B’s show you the broad range which has now been embraced under the term “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame”

A’s: Abba, AC/DC, Al Green, Aretha Franklin

B’s: Beastie Boys, BB King, Bill Withers, Billie Holiday, Billy Joel, Black Sabbath, Blondie, Bob Marley  

Btw: Curtis Mayfield Hall of Fame - has a previously little know song called "(Don’t Worry) If there’s a hell below, we’re all going to go” which is the theme song for HBO’s the Deuce and it is FIRE !!!!! 

John mellancamp & ZZ Top are both questionable inductees 

John Mellencamp has over 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify — that’s legit - my issue with him, I strongly dislike his top 4 songs 

Jack & Diane, Small Town, Little Pink Houses, and Hurts So good (which is easily the most decent of those four). HIs best song is R-o-c-k in the USA and that’s basically the same song as “What I like about you” by the Romantics

He’s an americana act - and that’s clearly not my bag — but the true offense of John Mellencamp are those Chevy Truck “This is our country” commercials 

John Mellencamp’s related artists: Don Henley, J. Geils Band, Eddie Money, Bob Seger, 38 Special, Huey Lewis & the News, Steve Miller Band — pretty sure each of those artists would’ve existed without Mellencamp’s influence 

ZZ Top — I like ZZ Top. And when I was between the ages of 10-22 I dare say that I really liked ZZ Top —and still do. But have they had a profound influence on music? They somehow has over 3.2 million monthly listeners on Spotify — which is over 50% increase over Mellencamp. They have great songs, and spectacular beards. But, i just don’t see ‘em being hall of fame without those beards 

ZZ Top - related Artists: George Thoroughgood and the destroyers, Thin Lizzy, Foghat and Lynyrd Skynyrd - pretty sure those artists would’ve existed without ZZ Top’s influence 

And ones that should be 

Janet Jackson, Janes addiction (nope, research has me like “def not", Whitney Houston, Tina turner (not in solo, but in with Ike), John Coltrane, the cure, Iron Maiden 

Janet Jackson - 3 million Monthly listeners, Super Bowl 38 “wardrobe malfunction”, Her brother was the King of Pop, her brothers were the Jackson 5, and somehow she carved out her own hall of fame nominated career. Starred in Good Times, starred in Poetic Justice with Tupac.

She’s been making hits since 1982 — “What have you done for me lately” came out in 1986 - still holds up. So did “Control” and “Nasty” 

 Rhythm Nation came out in 1989 - still holds up. So did “Miss you much” and “Escape” 

"That’s the way love goes” came out in 1993, so did “If” which pretty much every woman born between 1972 an 1982 still know all the words to, to this very day 

“Together Again” 1997 - still holds up - so did “Got til it’s gone” with Joanie Mitchell and Q-tip 

I could go on and on — but this sums it up - the top 8 related artists on Spotify for Janet Jackson are Toni Braxton, Amerie, Brandy, Mya, En Vogue, SWV, Monica and Aaliyah — they all have one thing in common — they all came after Janet Jackson — they were all influenced by her 

Whitney Houston - 7.4 million monthly million listeners - WHAT!?!?!?!! 

Whitney redefined the Super Bowl National Anthem performance at Super Bowl 25 

“I wanna dance with somebody” has 148 million listens on spotify — that song actually is actually my rebuttal to the question - is any song more popular now that when it was a hit. "Your Love” by the Outfield was my original answer — but this song was bigger then and is bigger now (Josie has 88 million listens)

Do me I favor - Put I wanna Dance with somebody on at a wedding and see what happens. Put it on at a house party and see what happens. Put it on at Monday night bingo full of retirees and see what happens — that song came out in 1987. 30 years ago — if you’re 75 today, you were 45 in 1885 — if you’re playing’ bingo and that song comes on, it will be mayhem on the dance floor 

Put in the words “I wanna” into google and guess what it auto populates for you… three words… dance with somebody 

Whitney Houston is basically Janet Jackson on steroids - without the famous family, and despite the fact that she married Bobby Brown and things went downhill incredibly quickly after that. 

Related Artists: Patti LaBelle, Toni Braxton, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Luther Vandross and Diana Ross - It can be argued that she bridged the gap between Dianna Ross and Mariah Carey 

Tina Tuner is already in with Ike and Tina — but how about we just drop Ike? Also, if Ronny Wood can get inducted twice as a Rolling Stones member and then as a member of the Faces/Small Faces — then i think Tina should get in twice  

John Coltrane - i’m not even going to make an Argument — put this dude into the Hall of Fame immediately 

The Cure - very original sound … 4.3million monthly listeners on Spotify, 5 bonafide JAMSKIES in “Friday I’m in Love”, “Boys don’t cry”, “Close to me”, “Just like Heaven”, “Love Song” - heck love song was covered by 311 and it made 311’s greatest hit album 

Related artists include - Depeche Mode, Joy Division, The Smiths, and Siouxie and the Bansees — i love them all — but The Cure is a rich man’s Depeche Mode

Iron Maiden - 3.3 million monthly listeners - related artists, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Dio — if Judas Priest gets in (with their 1.6 million monthly listeners), then Iron Maiden should get in. I would argue that Judas has more commercial hits — but in terms of Metal Influence — i think Iron Maiden has way more street cred. 

Plus, there’s a place in southie called the maiden and it’s a really nice place. But, the Men’s room is a giant mural of Iron Maiden and they only play iron maiden songs in the men’s room… and ONLY in the men’s room — what a great Gimmick