Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, and Mary J. Blige Among Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2021 Class

They are Rock & Roll Royalty!

This past Wednesday, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its new class of potential inductees, with eight of the 16 nominees being Black. The 2021 nominations feature Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, Rage Against The Machine, Chaka Khan, Fell Kuti, LL Cool J, and Dionne Warick. Those with the top votes will be announced in May and inducted in a Cleveland, Ohio, ceremony in the fall.

To be considered for this year’s ballot, each nominee’s first single or album needed to be released in 1995 or earlier. This will be Jay-Z’s first-year eligible while other surprising first-timers include iconic singers Tina Turner, Fela Kuti, and Dionne Warwick. However, Turner was inducted in 1991 along with Ike Turner. If the “What’s Love Got To Do With It” singer is inducted, she’ll be the second woman to enter the Hall of Fame twice. LL Cool J has been nominated six times and Chaka Khan three. 

According to the Hall of Fame, this is the most racially diverse ballot since 1996.

“This remarkable ballot reflects the diversity and depth of the artists and music the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrates,” Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation Chairman John Sykes says in a statement. “These nominees have left an indelible impact on the sonic landscape of the world and influenced countless artists that have followed them.”

According to Rolling Stone, a voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists, and music industry members will select the new class. Fans will also have a chance to participate in the process by voting at rockhall.com or an interactive kiosk at the museum in Cleveland. Their selections will count as a single “fan ballot” that gets tabulated along with the others.

Turner, whose impact on music is undeniable, will also be featured in a new documentary premiering on HBO next month. According to a press release, Tina features exclusive archival footage across six-decades, including interviews with Oprah, Kurt Loder, who co-authored Turner’s autobiography, I Tina, and Katori Hall, who wrote Tina – The Tina Turner Musical. Turner’s husband and former record executive Erwin Bach also appear, as does Angela Bassett—who iconically portrayed Tina Turner in the 1993 film, What’s Love Got To Do With It, opposite Laurence Fishburne.

The feature documentary is directed by Oscar-winning duo Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin and award-winning producers Simon and Jonathan China of Lightbox production company. Diane Becker produced along with Erwin Bach, Tali Pelman, Will Clarke, Andy Mayson, Mike Runagall, David Gilbery, Charles Dorfman, Nancy Abraham, and Lisa Heller as executive producers.

According to the press release, “This unvarnished, dynamic account features insightful interviews with Tina herself, conducted in her hometown of Zurich, Switzerland, and with those closest to her. It also features a wealth of never-before-seen footage, audio tapes, and personal photos, telling a deep and absorbing story about the queen of rock ‘n’ roll in all its complexity.”

The documentary premieres Saturday, March 27 at 8 p.m. ET on HBO and will be streaming on HBO Max.