NEW YORK (AP) — Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Joan Baez, Electric Light Orchestra, Journey and Yes will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday night.
Nile Rodgers will receive a special honor at the event held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Presenters inducting the 2017 class include David Letterman, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, Dhani Harrison, Pat Monahan, Jackson Browne and Alex Lifeson of Rush.
Shakur, the prolific rapper, was shot and killed at his peak in 1996. “Keep Ya Head Up,” ”Life Goes On,” ”Ambitionz Az a Ridah” and “Changes” are among his best-known songs.
After Nirvana just three years ago, Pearl Jam is the second band with roots in Seattle’s grunge rock scene to make it into the Rock Hall. The band exploded in popularity from the start in the early 1990s behind songs like “Alive,” ”Jeremy” and “Even Flow.”
Shakur, Baez, Pearl Jam and ELO were all elected in their first year as nominees.
To be eligible, all of the nominees had to have released their first recording no later than 1991. Inductees will eventually be enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland.
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