Missy Elliott, DJ Kool Herc, The Spinners, Chaka Khan, George Michael, and Don Cornelius were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Elliott is the first female rapper to have the honor. Queen Latifah introduced Elliott before she performed a medley of her hits onstage at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn during the induction ceremony on Saturday, November 4th. Jazmine Sullivan introduced Khan, who performed “I Feel For You” with Common rapping Melle Mel’s part. H.E.R. and Sia joined her while she sang “Ain’t Nobody,” “Sweet Thing,” and  “I’m Every Woman.” Khan brought Tony Maiden from Rufus after she accepted her award. New Edition put on a well-choreographed show in tribute to The Spinners, while a Soul Train scenario played out in the background in honor of Don Cornelius. LL Cool J inducted Kool Herc, who accepted his award with his sister Cindy. Andrew Ridgeley, who was one-half of Wham with Michael, inducted his later former bandmate. Miguel, Adam Levine, and Carrie Underwood performed some of Michael’s classics, including “Careless Whisper” and “Faith.” 

The Black Music Action Coalition and the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame have formed a partnership to make the music industry more inclusive with the 2024 BMAC Music Maker Guaranteed Income and Mentorship Program.  Applications for the program are available from November 2, 2023 through November. 20, 2023 for Black women and women artists and industry professionals between the ages of 18-30 years old who have financial need and live in the United States. BMAC and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will provide one year of mentorship and financial support beginning in February 2024 to celebrate Black History Month.  BMAC, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Billboard, iHeartMedia, and the Music Artist Coalition (MAC) will produce an industry wide summit during 2024 Grammy Week to discuss diversity, inclusion, and the contributions female and Black Artists have made to music.  

“…The immeasurable contributions made by Black Artists and executives have led to the growth and expansion of our music industry and impacted bottom lines globally,” says Willie “Prophet” Stiggers, co-founder/Chairman of BMAC. “However those contributions have often been overlooked, appropriated and misrepresented. BMAC applauds the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for partnering with us to launch a program that will directly address the long standing inequities in the music industry. We are leveling the playing field and investing in the next generation of Black and female creatives and future executives, ensuring they have the access, resources, and the network to continue to make those contributions and impact.”

“Rock & Roll was born from the collision of Rhythm & Blues, Gospel and Country,” said John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “From its creation in 1986 through today, Black and female artists and executives have played a vital role in creating the diverse sounds, styles and spirit honored by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We are proud to partner with the Black Music Action coalition on this important initiative.”

“The powerful contributions made to music by Black artists and female artists are so significant as to be unquantifiable,” says Caron Veazey, co-founder of BMAC. “At BMAC, part of our mission is to support and cultivate talent – and through the BMAC x Rock and Roll Hall of Fame program, we are able to provide mentorship and a guaranteed income to artists, which will provide them with the bandwidth to create. Our aim is to help the next generation of musicians, songwriters, producers, managers, agents, and other industry professionals to go after their dreams and turn them into reality. Working together with RRHOF is an exciting example of implementing tangible action to support a shared goal.”

Applicants can apply to the BMAC Music Maker Guaranteed Income and Mentorship Program at the BMAC site.  In September, BMAC opened membership to music industry professionals and advocates who want to join as a unified force of action to bring racial parity in the music industry. 

Missy Elliott, Chaka Khan, DJ Kool Herc, George Michael, The Spinners and Don Cornelius are 2023 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The new class was announced today on the Rock Hall’s website. Herc will receive the Musical Influence Award and Khan gets the Musical Excellence Award. Soul Train founder Don Cornelius will receive the Ahmet Ertegan Award posthumously. The induction ceremony will take place on November 3rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The full list of inductees can be found here. 

The 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees were announced yesterday. The White Stripes, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, A Tribe Called Quest, Kate Bush, Warren Zevon, The Spinners, Rage Against The Machine, Sheryl Crow, Joy Division/ New Order, Cyndi Lauper, Soundgarden and Iron Maiden are all of the candidates. Fans can vote on their choices until April 28th at rockhall.com The class will be announced in May.