He will be joined at the June 15 induction ceremony by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Chicago’s Robert Lamm, James Pankow and ex-band member Peter Cetera and Max Martin. Motown founder Berry Gordy, who was a member of the class of 2016, will also be inducted since he was unable to attend last year’s celebration.
"With our 2017 roster of inductees, the Songwriters Hall of Fame moves definitively into recognizing music creators of the 21st century while continuing to honor the greats of earlier decades. The combination of contemporary sounds and timeless hits of the past is certain to make for an unforgettable evening," said Hall co-chairs Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and President Linda Moran in a statement. ”The songwriters we honor cross genre, regional and even national boundaries - R & B, Rap, Pop and Rock & Roll from both coasts, the American heartland and Sweden. We are thrilled to once more have the opportunity to preside over an event that recognizes the convergence of song craft and musical performance at the very highest level."
The award does not have the higher profile of the Grammys or Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in part because the often-moving ceremony is not televised and the honorees are often names not known to the general public. However, many songwriters and artists consider the honor the pinnacle of their career.
Chic’s Nile Rodgers announced the inductees on CBS This Morning Wednesday. Remarking on Jay Z’s landmark achievement, he said, "It's massive. He has changed the way that we listen to music. He's changed the way that we have fun.”
Songwriters are eligible 20 years after they were first published. Jay Z’s first album, Reasonable Doubt, came out in 1996, the same year that fellow superstar rapper, Eminem, released his first album, so the two are both newly eligible with Jay Z getting the nod this year. (There are, of course, other pioneering rappers who came long before Jay Z or Eminem, like Grandmaster Flash or the Beastie Boys, who deserve consideration).
SHOF president Moran explained the process exclusively to this FORBES contributor: “There are hundreds of writers to be considered, so the committee goes through several rounds of cutting names until they get to the final 12 [in the performing songwriter category]. Jay Z is just the first rapper to make the final cut. There is no intention on our part to change the way we do things because we have always given writers of all genres a fair review and chance to be on the ballot," Moran said via email. "As far as Eminem goes, he is extremely qualified, but the committee felt that Jay Z was more qualified to be the first rapper to be inducted. (An interesting note there is that the committee has always been conscious of honoring the fathers before the children, so to speak. I would say it is a respect issue.) I feel very proud of the Nominating Committee to bite the bullet and to include a rapper on the ballot and even prouder of our membership who voted to induct Jay Z. It is history-making for us and our members obviously have open minds in accepting and celebrating all genres of songwriting.”
EmoticonEmoticon