Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2017 nominees include Tupac, Pearl Jam, Janet Jackson, Journey

LOS ANGELES — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Tuesday morning (Oct 18) the nominees for its 2017 induction ceremony. This year’s nominees include Tupac Shakur, Chaka Khan, Pearl Jam, Bad Brains, Janet Jackson, and more.

This year marks the first year of eligibility for Shakur and Pearl Jam. To be considered for induction, an individual artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Last year’s inductees included N.W.A, Deep Purple, Cheap Trick, Chicago, and Steve Miller.

Other first-time nominees include Bad Brains, Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, Jane’s Addiction, Joan Baez, Journey, and Steppenwolf. Given Shakur’s timeless popularity in the hip-hop world, he’ll likely be a favourite with the public. Seminal DC hardcore punk band Bad Brains was among the surprises in this year’s lineup, while folk icon Baez and pop-rock hitmakers Journey were long considered notable absentees from past shortlists. Additionally, this year marks Chic’s 11th nomination overall.

Ballots will be sent to a roster of more than 800 artists, historians, and members of the music industry. As of Tuesday, the public will also have the opportunity to cast fan ballots at rockhall.com. The top five vote-getters will be tallied as a single ballot, and counted alongside the others. Public voting ends Dec 5 at 11.59pm ET.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2017 inductees will be announced at an unspecified date in December. The induction ceremony will be held at the Barclay’s Center in New York City in April 2017. VARIETY.COM/REUTERS

A full list of this year’s nominees include:

Bad Brains, Chaka Khan, Chic, Depeche Mode, Electric Light Orchestra, J. Geils Band, Jane’s Addiction, Janet Jackson, Joan Baez, Joe Tex, Journey, Kraftwerk, MC5, Pearl Jam, Steppenwolf, The Cars, The Zombies, Tupac Shakur, Yes