Tupac Shakur has made it onto the official Hall of Fame list, in a move that will signal that hip-hop has been further endorsed by the powers that be in the music industry. The Hall of Fame has previously inducted Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Run-D.M.C., the Beastie Boys, and, in 2016, N.W.A.
![Graça Machel was born in 1945 [CGTN]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'100'%20height%3D'100'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "Graça Machel was born in 1945 [CGTN]")
Others in the 2017 class include folk icon Joan Baez, the English rock band Electric Light Orchestra, the "Don't Stop Believin'" rock group Journey, and the grunge pioneers Pearl Jam.
Chic has once again been denied a spot in the Hall of Fame. While Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers has been honored with an Award for Musical Excellence (not voted on by the body's members), as Slate points out, the group's longtime absence is a point of contention.
"I'm happy but perplexed," Rodgers told Rolling Stone of the honor. "I feel like somebody put me in the lifeboat and told my family they can't get in."
Here's the full list of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2017 inductees:
Performer Category:
• Joan Baez
• Electric Light Orchestra
• Journey
• Pearl Jam
• Tupac Shakur
• Yes
Award for Musical Excellence:
• Nile Rodgers
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