On Monday (April 22), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the inductees for the 2024 class. A Tribe Called Quest will be inducted into this year’s class along with Mary J. Blige, Kool and The Gang, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Frampton and Foreigner. The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction will be live on Saturday, October 19th at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The 2024 ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+ with a special airing on ABC at a later date and available on Hulu the next day.

“Rock & Roll is an ever-evolving amalgam of sounds that impacts culture and moves generations,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “This diverse group of inductees each broke down musical barriers and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps.”

The Induction categories include:

– Performers: artists who have created music whose originality, impact, and influence has changed the course of rock & roll.

– Musical Influence Award: artists whose music and performance style have directly influenced, inspired, and evolved rock & roll and music impacting youth culture.

– Musical Excellence Award: given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music.

– Ahmet Ertegun Award: non-performing industry professionals who have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock & roll and music that has impacted youth culture.

To be eligible, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. 4 out of the 8 Inductees in the Performer category were on the ballot for the first time, including Cher, Foreigner, Kool & the Gang and Peter Frampton.

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST

One of the most artistic, eclectic, and perceptive rap groups of the 1990s, A Tribe Called Quest nurtured a new alternative hip-hop sub-genre with a caste-free cross-pollination of hip-hop, jazz, and alternative rock. The pioneering group abandoned the aggressive machismo and hard-hitting sounds of James Brown that were prevalent in the era, delving instead into the more laid-back samples of the jazz-rap revolution. Their music was meant to create a metaphysical space for the listener, where one could retreat and confront the social issues facing the African American community with peace rather than rage and violence. This cerebral approach exemplified an intermingling of cultures and sound to yield beauty and understanding.

Formed in high school in Queens, New York, in 1985, A Tribe Called Quest featured Q-Tip serving as the producer-leader, Phife Dawg as the MC, Jarobi White as the spirited everyman, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad as the DJ and coproducer. Within four years, the group released three albums, now recognized as among the best: People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, The Low End Theory, and Midnight Marauders. “It was listening to N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton that inspired us to make The Low End Theory,” said Q-Tip. “Years later, I spoke to Dr. Dre, and he told me that hearing The Low End Theory inspired him to make The Chronic.”

The group became the nucleus of a New York collective known as the Native Tongues, a musical movement deeply rooted in Afrocentrism and positive, open-minded messages welcoming diverse identities and conceptions of Blackness. They created underground waves that continue to ripple throughout hip-hop, influencing artists like Pharrell Williams, Tyler, the Creator, and Quest Love in their approaches to social commentary, the use of Black musical traditions, and the visual culture of the African diaspora.

Selected Discography
“Can I Kick It?,” “Bonita Applebum,” “I Left My Wallet in El Segundo,” People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990) • “Check the Rhime,” “Jazz (We’ve Got),” “Scenario,” “Buggin’ Out,” The Low End Theory (1991) • “Electric Relaxation,” “Award Tour,” Midnight Marauders (1993) • “Find a Way,” The Love Movement (1998)

MARY J. BLIGE

Blige signed with Uptown Records in 1989, becoming the label’s youngest and first female artist. Her debut singlehandedly kick-started the hip-hop soul genre and produced Number One R&B hits “Real Love” and “You Remind Me.” Her image – oversized jerseys, backwards baseball hats, and combat boots – introduced a new look to R&B music, and her lyrics embraced an authenticity that resonated with fans – especially women. Her mid-1990s hits with the Notorious B.I.G., Method Man, and JAY-Z created the blueprint for R&B/hip-hop collaborations for decades to follow.

Blige emerged as a songwriter with hits “Be Happy” and “My Life” from her sophomore effort My Life, while her song “Not Gon’ Cry” showcased the emotional ache of Blige’s affecting vocals. The 2000s ushered in more success with Number One hits “Family Affair” and Grammy-winning “Be Without You.” Blige continues to craft hits, including her ode to unapologetic happiness “Just Fine,” critically acclaimed London Sessions, and collaborations with Inductees Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, and Missy Elliott. In 2018, she received two Oscar nominations for the film Mudbound and became the first person nominated for acting and original song in the same year. In 2022, Blige co-headlined the Super Bowl halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem – earning her an Emmy.

Blige’s music echoes our experiences with love and life. She helps us move on, move out, and move up. She’s the much-needed soundtrack to our heartache, vulnerability, and courage to refuse to accept anything less than we deserve. Long Live Queen Mary J!

Selected Discography
“Real Love,” What’s the 411? (1992) • “I’m Goin’ Down,” “My Life,” My Life (1994) • “Not Gon’ Cry” (1996) • Share My World (1997) • “Your Child,” Mary (1999) • “Family Affair,” No More Drama (2001) • “Be Without You,” The Breakthrough (2005) • Strength of a Woman (2017) • “Mighty River,” Mudbound soundtrack (2017)

 

 

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