Slain rapper Tupac Shakur will join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, organizers said on Tuesday, reflecting the strength of his influence 25 years after his death and the growing acceptance of hip hop as a force in mainstream music.
Folksinger Joan Baez, British progressive rock band Yes, American rockers Pearl Jam and Journey, and English rock band Electric Light Orchestra rounded out the 2017 inductees, but pop star Janet Jackson was again excluded, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said.
Shakur was killed at age 25 in an unsolved 1996 drive-by shooting in Las Vegas that has only boosted his fame. The Harlem-born rapper, who sang about social inequity and black struggles, is regarded as one of the most influential voices in hip hop music, spurring the release of documentaries, movies and a Broadway musical.
Shakur was chosen as a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee on his first nomination. California rappers N.W.A. were inducted in 2016 as only the fifth hip hop act to be voted in.
Artists must have released their first recordings at least 25 years ago to be eligible for nomination. The inductees were voted on by music fans and 900 music industry experts.
The class of 2017 will be inducted at a ceremony and performance show in New York on April 7.
Jackson, 50, the youngest child of the famed Jackson singing family, is one of the best-known pop singers in the world but is still waiting induction after becoming eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2007. It was her second nomination for the honor.

Source: Arab News