Wu-Tang Clan and Lauryn Hill have both been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Hame.
The Staten Island rap group and Fugees star are among the Class of 2026 nominees alongside Mariah Carey, Sade, New Edition, Luther Vandross and Phil Collins.
Oasis, Jeff Buckley, Iron Maiden, Pink, Joy Division/New Order, Billy Idol, Shakira, The Black Crowes, INXS and Melissa Etheridge are also up for induction as part of a diverse group of acts that span rock, hip-hop, heavy metal, soul, R&B, pop and new wave.
Wu-Tang Clan and Lauryn Hill are both first-time nominees, despite it being well over the 25-year eligibility period since they released their first commercial recordings (Enter the Wu-Tang [36 Chambers] in 1993 and The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1998, respectively).
The Wu could become the ninth hip-hop act to join the Rock Hall, while Ms. Hill is looking to become just the third female rap act to be inducted following Missy Elliott and Salt-N-Pepa.
So far, a total of 15 hip-hop acts have been voted into the Hall of Fame including JAY-Z, Eminem, 2Pac, Biggie, OutKast, A Tribe Called Quest, Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Public Enemy.
The 2026 inductees will be decided by an international panel of more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals. The Class of 2026 will then be finalized in April, followed by an induction ceremony this fall.
For Wu-Tang Clan, the welcome news comes at a difficult time following the death of one of the group’s chief visionaries, Oliver “Power” Grant.
Grant, who launched the hugely lucrative and influential streetwear brand Wu Wear and helped turn the collective into a global cultural phenomenon, passed away at the age of 52 on Tuesday (February 24).
His death was mourned by various Wu-Tang members as well as the wider hip-hop community, with Method Man writing on Instagram: “Paradise my Brother safe Travels!! [broken heart emojis] [angry face emoji] #pookie #power Bruh I am not ok .. [raincloud emoji].”
RZA expressed his grief by posting a black square on Instagram soundtracked by Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” and accompanied by the caption “5” — a nod to the Five-Percent Nation’s Supreme mathematics which inspired Power’s nickname.
Tributes also poured in from Raekwon, Cam’ron and DJ Premier, among others.
