Tina Turner, Jay-Z Among 2021 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductees, Fela Misses Out

After months of voting the inductees for the Rock & Roll “Hall of Fame 2021” was announced on the 12th of May 2021 by Gregg Harris the president and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In a 2 minutes, 16 seconds announcement video, the President said said:

 “This diverse class of talented Inductees reflects the Rock Hall’s ongoing commitment to honor artists whose music created the sound of youth culture. It will make for an unforgettable live celebration of music in October at this year’s Induction Ceremony in Cleveland.”.

Just Announced: The #RockHall2021 Inductees pic.twitter.com/WeocRAvSDb

— Rock Hall (@rockhall) May 12, 2021

Hello Rock & Roll fans, I’m honored to be standing inside the Rock & Roll Hall of fame in Cleveland, Ohio to announce our 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. It’s a diverse group of extremely talented artists, all who’ve had a significant impact on our sonic landscape. Thank you to our voting body, and to all of you who participated in the fan vote. And now, here is the 2021 class of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. In the performance’s category, Tina Turner, Carole King, The Go-Go’s, Jay-Z, Foo Fighters, Todd Rundgren. In addition, we are honored to induct the following in this special category; Clarence Avant as our Ahmet Ertegun Awardee, KRAFTWERK Charley Patton, and Gil Scott-Heron for Early Influence. LL Cool J, Billy Preston, and Randy Rhoads for musical excellence. Congratulations to our newest inductees and welcome to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We’re excited to celebrate with you on October 30th right here in Cleveland… Congratulations to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2021″

According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, to be eligible, artists are required to have released their first record 25 years prior to induction.

#Fela has passed on for 24years his music etc still so relevant. We should all be very proud. Every year he means so much more to so many of us. The greatest musicians artiste today pay tribute to him. We should all be proud.✊🏽. https://t.co/fKfltmRFbS

— Femi Anikulapo-Kuti (@Femiakuti) May 12, 2021

Ballots were sent to an international voting body of more than 1,200 artists, including current living Inductees, historians, and members of the music industry. Some of the factors considered were an artist’s musical influence on other artists, length and depth of career and the body of work, innovation, and superiority in style and technique.

Fela was first announced as a nominee for the award in February.

Fela is remembered as an influential icon who was brave enough to boldly voice his opinions on matters that affected the nation through his music.

If Fela Kuti had won, he would have made history as the first Nigerian artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame located in Ohio, United States. The museum documents the history of rock music and the artists, producers, engineers, and other notable figures who have influenced its development.

A look at the result of the final fans’ ballot revealed that Fela came in second behind Tina Turner.

See fans reaction below :

Fela Kuti was 2nd place based on fan votes. However, the ppl who didn’t come close to him were selected to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Despite this there was a clause that essentially meant the fan vote didn’t matter. They never planned on letting Fela win. pic.twitter.com/u3UGIQGnXv

— Raro Lae (@TheRaroLae) May 12, 2021

These were the ‘winners’. All talented, however none with the reach or impact of #FelaKuti and clearly none with the votes (besides Tina Turner).

Disappointed in the #RockAndRollHallOfFame. pic.twitter.com/2qQFHGHqw4

— Raro Lae (@TheRaroLae) May 12, 2021