Baez, Eddie Vedder, and Tupac. (Getty)
Pearl Jam, Joan Baez, Tupac, Electric Light Orchestra, Yes, Journey and Nile Rodgers will all be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. This is the first year Pearl Jam and Tupac were eligible for induction, as an artist can only be nominated 25 years after their first release. Rolling Stone points out that "they are the first artists to join the institution who started their careers in the Nineties." Another first: Tupac is the first solo rapper to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Nominees were announced in October, and also included Jane's Addiction, Janet Jackson, Kraftwerk, The Cars, The Zombies, MC5 and Chaka Khan—none of whom made it past nominee status this year.
Joan Baez released a statement regarding her induction, saying, "I never considered myself to be a rock and roll artist. But as part of the folk music boom which contributed to and influenced the rock revolution of the Sixties, I am proud that some of the songs I sang made their way into the rock lexicon. I very much appreciate this honor and acknowledgement by the Hall of Fame."
An induction ceremony is set to take place at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on April 7, with tickets on sale in January.
