Is it safe to say the following artists have secured their spots in the RRHOF? Have they done enough at this point in their careers? Also who else (not listed) do you think is deserving?

Alicia Keys
Beyonce
Justin Timberlake
Britney Spears
Christina Aguilera
Usher
R. Kelly

That's actually an interesting question. They are all obviously very popular, but I don't think any of them has contributed much that changed music. Maybe R Kelly to some extent.

But if popularity is enough, yeah I think certainly Beyonce & Justin have been huge for a whole decade.

NDRU said:

I definitely think Beyonce and Alicia Keys will get in. People praise these 2 as if they are the second coming. None of those people are exactly my fave artists though I do appreciate them but they've all been around at least ten years now so i'm guessing they'll get in.

Janet Jackson..... btw has anyone ever seen this article ?

Keltner analysis of undiscussed Rock Hall Artists: Janet Jackson

The site A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago, discusses various artists' credentials for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

After finishing my analysis of the Rock Hall backlog, I always intended to analyse artists who have never been discussed by the Nominating Committee, but still might have credentials to justify induction. The aim of the process is to find out whether, on the basis of the Keltner list for a Hall of Fame, the Nominating Committee really is completely ignoring artists who have undeniable credentials to be in the Hall.

I do admit that there are some problems with the criteria, especially given known biases of the Nominating Committee and how they effect who is already in the Hall, but still I cannot see any better alternative.

I have already done three Keltner tests on undiscussed artists:
The Smiths (eligible 2008/2009, not worthy)
Slayer (eligible 2008/2009, worthy)
Sonic Youth (eligible 2007/2008, worthy)

My next artist, first eligible in 2007/2008, is Janet Jackson. Janet Jackson is mentioned in Using the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists as a Predictor for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or: Why the Charts Don't Matter as proof that her tremendous commercial success does not makes for likely induction.

She began with two albums of the typical MOR pop style of the 1980s, Janet Jackson and Dream Street, which however sold very poorly. It was only with her 1986 album Control that she attracted public attention. The album topped the US charts and reached the Top 10 in UK, in the process generating six singles and attracting attention for Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis' production work, which was to become a critical part of Janet Jackson's career. Her next album, 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814, set a record with its seven Billboard Top Five singles, including "Miss You Much", "Escapade", "Black Cat", "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", "Alright", "Come Mack To Me" and "Rhythm Nation". Though the album was not universally praised, Robert Christgau admired the way she made her music into a message.

After Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet Jackson took a much more sexually assertive attitude with her fifth album janet. and made her film debut with Tupac Shakur in Poetic Justice. Her next full album, 1997's The Velvet Rope, was a concept album about her disillusionment with celebrity, but continued to sell in enormous quantities with its sexually explicit lyrics and guest appearances from cutting-edge rapper Q-Tip. 2001's All For You and 2004's Damita Jo showed Janet becoming more assertively sexual than ever, in the later case having to have a "clean" version issued in addition to the regular one. 2006's 20 Y.O. was her last album with longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and came simultaneously with a return to acting, whilst 2008's Discipline was marred by record company problems.

An evaluation of Janet Jackson's Rock Hall credentials based on the Keltner criteria, which actually come from the Baseball Hall of Fame follows.

1) Was Janet Jackson ever regarded as the best artist in rock music? (Did anybody, while Janet Jackson was active, ever seriously suggest Janet Jackson was the best artist in rock music?): Most likely not. Unlike preceding pop megasellers (Donna Summer, brother Michael, Madonna), Janet reached her peak whilst the pop charts were turning away from the synthesised pop of the 1980s towards more guitar-driven music like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and 1990s Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers, who took over from Michael as the premier artist on radio.

2) Was Janet Jackson ever the best artist in rock music in her genre?: Well, if we exclude Madonna, she could qualify in several genres, but having to do that would probably exclude her from any of them.

3) Was Janet Jackson ever considered the best at her instrument?: No, she was never highly regarded for her singing, which was often criticised even by sympathetic critics. However, as a dancer and stage performer, Janet might qualify because her dance routines were influential in the pop world of the 1990s.

4) Did Janet Jackson have an impact on a number of other artists?: Yes. Control and Rhythm Nation, though by no means the first albums of the New Jack Swing genre, were vital in popularising them and influenced such artists as Bobby Brown and Paula Abdul. They also were critical influences on established artists like brother Michael (Dangerous), Whitney Houston (I'm Your Baby Tonight) and Sheena Easton (What Comes Naturally).

5) Was Janet Jackson good enough that she could play regularly after passing her prime?: Yes, most definitely. Janet Jackson has been continuing to record at an unusual rate for one with so much experience, actually increasing her productivity with age even as her commercial and critical fortunes fall off. Even Madonna could not manage that so well, nor did previous pop megastars like Elvis Presley and Elton John. (Brother Michael's death will prove a test for her I think).

6) Is Janet Jackson the very best artist in history that is not in the Hall of Fame?: No, unless you define "best" as most commercially successful. However, as outlined above Janet's artistic impact is too small for such a claim to be valid even compared to the few above her in terms of chart success.

7) Are most singers who have a comparable recording history and impact in the Hall of Fame?: Definitely. The nearest in terms of commercial impact who are not would be Olivia Newton-John or perhaps Dire Straits, and none who are not had anything like the non-musical impact Janet had over the years. I recall hearing on one news show that Janet was the second most hated artist after brother Michael by Chinese censors, and I know other megasellers who have never been discussed are accepted even by despotic dictators.

8) Is there any evidence to suggest that Janet Jackson was significantly better or worse than is suggested by her statistical records?: The fact that, despite the assertively sexual tone of many of her records, Janet Jackson not had the same public controversy of her rivals for "Billboard's biggest-selling artist" (Elton John, Madonna, Michael Jackson) might be taken as in her favour because it suggests Janet knows how to cope with the pressure of fame - which are notorious for bringing pop stars down - better. Otherwise little to say.

9) Is Janet Jackson the best artist in her genre that is eligible for the Hall of Fame?: Yes, there is little doubt that she is the most significant artist in the pop and dance/pop genres who is eligible for the Hall of Fame, and importantly will remain so for a long time yet.

10) How many #1 singles/gold records did Janet Jackson have? Did Janet Jackson ever win a Grammy award? If not, how many times was Janet Jackson nominated?: Janet Jackson had a total of ten number one pop singles and nine number one r'n'b singles. Every album she recorded from Control to Damita Jo has gone multi-platinum and to the top two positions, with six reaching the pinnacle. She won a total of five Grammys, only one of which was for a song.

11) How many Grammy-level songs/albums did Janet Jackson have? For how long of a period did Janet Jackson dominate the music scene? How many Rolling Stone covers did Janet Jackson appear on? Did most artists with this sort of impact go into the Hall of Fame?: Janet Jackson had only one Grammy-level song, "That's The Way Love Goes", but she dominated the music scene for almost two decades, as noted above in her six number one Billboard albums, which must be a major recommendation. Janet Jackson was certainly a prominent figure on Rolling Stone covers, as shown by her appearance here from its limited archives. Despite her limited Grammy success, the way in which Janet Jackson dominated pop music for so long means one would have to answer this question in the affirmative.

12) If Janet Jackson was the best artist at a concert, would it be likely that the concert would rock?: Most of the Grammy's Janet Jackson won were for her videos rather than for her music and her live performance, especially its choreography, was the most influential part of her work. Thus, one would probably give this a "yes".

13) What impact did Janet Jackson have on rock history? Was she responsible for any stylistic changes? Did she introduce any new equipment? Although the SOS Band with the production of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis was the truest inventor of New Jack Swing, Janet certainly changed black popular music in the late 1980s to a quite standardised sound. She could be credited with popularising portable microphones on stage, but they have hardly been a significant innovation.

14) Did Janet Jackson uphold the standards of sportsmanship and character that the Hall of Fame, in its written guidelines, instructs us to consider?: There seems very little to say here.

Verdict: Janet Jackson was really an extraordinarily solid hitmaker with great skill at adapting herself to cultural trends she did not start, and as such has not been surpassed in popular music. Her longevity and the sheer number of hits leads to a verdict of induct. (It would I think be unfair for Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis not to get in as a Non-Performer if Janet does).

http://jpbenney.blogspot....ck_26.html

dancerella said:

God forbid those artists getting in before Janet.

Janet definitely will get in, just don't know if it'll be next year but I bet she'll be in the nominees list tho.

Meh

R. Kelly will get in easily for his contribution to music as a singer, writer, producer, arranger, etc. Alicia Keys - possibly. When her time comes.

The others - no.

I would add Janet. She def. deserves a place in the RRHOF. I think they're waiting for Control to be 25 years and that will be next year.

Idk...how can they overlook her and place the likes of LL Cool J and Donna Summers on the list? That doesn't make any sense!

I'm waiting for Teena Marie's nomination! She's met the requirements!

benjaminira said:

Everyone you listed (except R. Kelly) haven't contributed jack shit to music.

banks said:

Now the million dollar question is - Why isn't she in?



Do y'all think the SB had any effect on her chance of getting in?

trueiopian said:

NO

trueiopian said:

midiscover said:

There are rock hof'ers who've done much worse than pull out a tity ... she just hasn't been nominated yet, don't know why.

dancerella said:

That's some bullshit listing if I ever saw it. Britney fucking Spears? SERIOUSLY? What a crock of shit. None of these people have done enough to get in. Most of them don't even have a half dozen albums under their belt as solo artists.

Keys - 4 albums
Beyonce - 3 albums
Timberlake - 2 albums
Spears - 5 albums
Aguilera - 3 albums
Usher - 3 albums
R. Kelly - who the fuck cares

These people have a LOT to prove before they get into any hall of fame. Britney needs to actually sing. Usher and Keys need to get some personality. Timberlake has a long way to go. R. Kelly needs to just shower.

dancerella said:

i would rank their Hall of Fame likelihood as follows:

1. Beyonce
2. Justin Timberlake
3. Alicia Keyes
4. R. Kelly
5. Christina Aguilera
6. Britney Spears
7. Usher

Christina has the talent and vocal chops to go in some interesting directions in her career if she keeps growing. She's put out some terrific pop music. I can see her moving up the list. Britney is popular but she better have a long-ass career if she wants to make the Hall of Fame. From a musical standpoint, she is not taken very seriously. Same w/ Usher.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Many of the first group of inductees were controversial in a time when mixing styles of music to different types of people was controversial (Elvis, Chuck, Richard, Sam, Jerry Lee, Ray, etc.). Elvis was branded a menace to society after his first TV performances, so if someone who was considered a threat back in Eisenhower-era America could get in, a woman who got some unnecessary criticism during the Dubya-era WILL get in.
[Edited 1/26/10 18:03pm]

I'm a fan of most of the people on that list and the keyword in this post is Future so of course none of them are at Hall of Fame Level yet. Janet should get in though

LittleBLUECorvette said:

I would've agreed before what f__king Disney did after the SB. Yes, Disney got pressed.

midiscover said:

Fuck a Disney.

And no I don't agree that the tit thing was bad. People just made a big deal about a bunch of nothing. Just focus on the positive.

Timmy84 said:

The tit was a positive!

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Yeah lol

NoVideo said:

Technically I think R. Kelly and Usher should get in before Beyonce since they've been around longer but I don't know if that makes a difference or not in their decision making.

dancerella said:

well if you are gonna go by all the shit they asked when considering janet, none of these people on your list will even get nominated

And why do you think Usher deserves to get in? He's the poor man's MJ and hasn't contributed to the history of music.

midiscover said:

Everybody on that list is the poor man's of someone

babybugz said:

Not R. Kelly

midiscover said:

I'm going to keep my mouth shut

dancerella said:

Honestly i would say no one on this list, maybe Destinys Child as a unit, maybe Xtina, but i doubt it, Usher no way in hell, Justin, he would have to grow as an artist, and embrace and GROW. Britney, is possible because of the Madonna thing, but i doubt it highly.

As time goes on, i think its safe to bet on Norah Jones, Ryan Adams, John Mayer (if he grows into an adult).

lastdecember said:

I think Beyonce, Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake are all very, very likely.

Of the 3 you mentioned, I think all could get in eventually if they hang around long enough, but i'd say Ryan Adams would be the most probable.