A Tribe Called Quest and Mary J. Blige will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as 2024 graduates.
The legendary rap group and iconic R&B singer will also be joined by Ozzy Osbourne, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Foreigner and Kool & The Gang.
Blige responded to the news on Instagram, writing: “So grateful!!!! This is unbelievable! God always has the final say! Thank you to all the fans around the world! Tears of joy!!
Tribe founding member Jarobi White also wrote: “Wow!!! @qtiptheabstract @alishaheed We did it! Feifei, we got you into the Hall of Fame! Wish you were here. Okay, I know you’re watching…fuck yeah! Haha To all the seekers, thank you from the bottom of our hearts #jedibusuness!
The esteemed names will be officially inducted later this year, with the ceremony airing live on ABC and streaming on Hulu the following day.
Mariah Carey, Sade and Eric B & Rakim are among those who were nominated this year but did not make the final cut.
Tribe has been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice before, in 2022 and 2023, and is now making a third attempt at induction.
They are the sixth rap group to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, following Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and NWA.
After the group was voted out last year, long-time Tribe affiliate Consequence lashed out at organizers on social media, saying: “What we won’t do is continue to succumb to the name A Tribe Called Quest to a white popularity contest and put them out there as Token n-ggas choice. We will prevent this.
He added: “What I really don’t feel like, from a political perspective, is that now we have to explain 0 for 2. The merits of the music, you can’t put it on the record.” You can’t compare A Tribe Called Quest with them being black Score 0 and 2 for what the music does. You can’t do that. I can’t allow you to do this.
Mary J. Blige was also nominated in 2021 but failed to win.
Missy Elliott was inducted into the Hall of Fame last yearbecoming the first female rapper to win this honor.
In her acceptance speech, she praised the female hip-hop pioneers who came before her.
“We all love some form of music and all the people who have taken to the stage,” she said. “I just listen to other people’s stories and think, wow, they’ve been around for so many years… That’s why I’m still shocked because they’ve been with me for so many years.”
She continued: “I would have to say Pepa from Salt-N-Pepa. Her and Queen Latifah, [MC] Wright, Roxanne Sant, and more.Moni [Love], all the people in front of me gave me a shoulder to lean on. So I just want to take a moment.
“My people said, ‘Hey, go out there, people want to hear from you and know how you feel.'” But these people inspired me. Without them and their music, I probably wouldn’t be here.
Other rappers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include JAY-Z, Eminem, The Notorious BIG and 2Pac.
