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

Rock Hall of Fame 2020 Inductee Podcast

2020 Rock Hall of Fame 

Place listening Paris France - continues to lead the list, Mountain View, CA and San Jose CA, Amsterdam and long lost friends in Ashburn VA all checking in the top 5 or 10 places listening this week 

France, USA and Netherlands are the top 3 countries - also UK, Spain, Australia, Iran, Turkey and Iraq - based on episode 299 - not shocked on those countries listening 

Bad Boys for Life aka part 3, I’m all over it. Feel like it’s rare in hollywood to take like 7 years before part 2 and then like 17 more years before part 3. Both Spiderman and Batman have been rebooted twice each between Bad Boys 2 and Bad Boys 3

For the first time in 7 years the winner of the fan vote didn’t get inducted. And this year it was first time nominee, Dave Matthews Band.

Fans are up in arms, 1,000,000 people voted for them, USA Today is covering it — and frankly — I’m not a big fan of snubs — but this Manufactured Controversy is probably good for the Rock Hall’s awareness in the public consciousness.

Getting In: 

Whitney Houston — the second biggest oversight of the past 3-5 years after Janet Jackson and now they are both in

The Notorious BIG - this is a no-brainer for me - but the Hall Has snubbed LL Cool J - so it’s great to see them get one right. 

Depeche Mode

Nine Inch Nails

Doobie Brothers 

T. Rex - they are about to spur on a spinoff podcast titled “Who is the worst act inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame”.

I voted on November 7th - My Votes were Biggie, Whitney, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden (soft spot for Cornell), Dave Matthews Band. I felt the biggest LOCK was DMB. 

At the Time of My vote in November: 

DMB was leading with 385,656 votes  (Only the beatles and rolling stones have had more #1 albums)

Pat Benatar was 2nd with 363,191 votes (this is a huge snub as well) - 8 gold albums from 1979-1988 including 6 straight going platinum. Her “You better run video” was the 2nd ever to be on MTV. 4 straight GRAMMYS for female performer of the year. 

The Doobie Bros were 3rd with 328,435 votes  HOF 

Soundgarden was 4th with 325,264 votes (first Seattle grunge band to sign to a major label)

Judas Priest was 5th with 286,131 votes 

Depeche Mode was 6th with 265515 votes  HOF (arguably the best version of synth-pop out there) 

Whitney Houston was 7th with 247,791 votes  HOF  (Basically invented the national anthem as a spectacle at Super Bowl 25)

8th Thin Lizzy 

9th Motorhead

10th Nine Inch Nails  200,116 votes  HOF  (Godfather of pop/ industrial rock)

11th Todd Rundgren

12th T Rex 150,692 votes  HOF  (There are people saying they essentially invented Glam Rock when they left “Psychedelic Folk Music”- welp 

13th Biggie Smalls 148,173 votes HOF  (Biggie is what this is all about. Larger than life persona who did his version of music at the highest level possible). He’s always listed on the mount rushmore of MC’s - he’s gotta be in. I’m stoked and shocked that they got this right. 

14th Kraftwerk 

15th Rufus ft. Chaka Khan 68,852 votes 

Stevie Nicks Rock & Roll Hall of Fame / Janet Jackson Rock Hall of Fame

Stevie Nicks is going to get inducted - i’m not here to argue against her — however 

Fake Band of Week: Secret Beef 
Annie O Update: What are her latest actives, aside from great interpretive dance. 

Are you watching New season of Below Deck - and do you see a little bit of Joao in Asthon?

If you’re already in with a group - and then you as a solo artist do enough to get in - i think it’s a separate ceremony… like a stand alone “holly wood walk of fame induction”. Or maybe a quadrennial induction of all 2nd timer hall of famers and/or 3rd timers — make it a higher level event, a more rare event… cuz it is a more rare event. 

Def Leppard. Janet Jackson. LL Cool J (did enough as a hip-hop pioneer)… it’s like the Barry Bonds was a hall of fame before PED use argument.  Rage Against the Machine. The Cure.

Stevie Nicks - Pizza Bagel Maestro 

How do you feel about Radiohead saying that they “don’t want to be inducted”? 

DEVO, John Prine, Kraftwerk, MC5, Roxy Music, Todd Rundgren, Rufus and Chaka Khan, The Zombies