Eminem, A Tribe Called Quest, Lionel Ritchie Amongst 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees

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Hip-hop pioneers and an R&B legend are among the nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's 2022
class.

The class, announced Wednesday, features 17 contenders and is led by former rap oddity turned mainstream monster Eminem — the only artist to make the ballot in his first year of eligibility in this class.

Over his 30-plus year career the Detroit native, born Marshall Mathers, has sold over 220 million records, collected 15 Grammys and notched 2002’s Academy Award for Best Original Song for his song "Lose Yourself," off the “8 Mile” soundtrack — a semiautobiographical movie he also starred in.

Joining Eminem in the running for a spot in the hall are fellow hip-hop heavyweights A Tribe Called Quest and soulful singer-songwriter Lionel Ritchie — whose former band the Commodores has yet to be nominated.

“This year’s ballot recognizes a diverse group of incredible artists, each who has had a profound impact on the sound of youth culture,” Rock Hall chairman John Sykes said in a statement. “Their music not only moved generations, but also influenced the sound of countless artists that followed.”

The class also includes standouts from several other genres of music. Country music powerhouse Dolly Parton, new wave legends Duran Duran, 1970s singer-songwriter Carly Simon and ‘90s indie-rock darling Beck round out the first-timers vying for their place in the hall.

Pat Benatar, Devo, the New York Dolls, singer-songwriter Kate Bush, Judas Priest and the Eurythmics, who have all been nominated twice previously, are also back in the running.

More than 1,000 artists, music historians and music industry professionals vote on the nominees, the foundation said, taking into account an artist or group's influence on other musicians, their body of work and "length and depth of career."

This year's inductees will be announced in May with an induction ceremony to follow in the fall. Starting today, fans can vote at 

rockhall.com or at an interactive kiosk at the Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland.

Full list of 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees:

Beck*

Pat Benatar

Kate Bush

DEVO

Duran Duran*

Eminem*

Eurythmics

Judas Priest

Fela Kuti

MC5

New York Dolls

Dolly Parton*

Rage Against the Machine

Lionel Richie*

Carly Simon*

A Tribe Called Quest*

Dionne Warwick  

*first-time nominees

Brian Flores Opens up About 'Sham' NFL Interview

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Black History Month started out with a bang for sports fans Tuesday when former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sued the NFL, the New York Giants, the Dolphins and Denver Broncos for racial discrimination.

Now he is opening up about his dispute with the league and some of the incendiary charges leveled in his bombshell lawsuit.

Asked how it made him feel knowing that he was walking into an interview where a decision might have already been made during an appearance on “CBS Mornings” Wednesday, Flores said, “It was a range of emotions. Humiliation. Disbelief. Anger. I worked so hard to get where I am in football to become a head coach. To go in on what was a sham interview, I was hurt.”

Former #Dolphins HC Brian Flores on @CBSMornings describing his interactions and feelings before his interview with the #Giants for the head coach job. pic.twitter.com/1RnVxn0VUK

— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) February 2, 2022

Flores walked into the interview with an idea that it was just a cursory attempt to respect the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior operation positions, thanks to a damning text exchange with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick that was the catalyst for the lawsuit that states that the league "remains rife with racism" and that "in certain critical ways, the NFL is racially segregated and is managed much like a plantation."

Belichick accidentally texted him to congratulate him on the NY Giants job thinking he was Brian Daboll. The lawsuit presents text messages of Belichick sending congratulations to Flores for landing the Giants job on Jan. 24. That text was sent two days prior to Flores interviewing for the job.

After Flores initially appeared confused by the text message, he asked Belichick, “Coach, are you talking to Brian Flores or Brian Daboll. Just making sure.”

Belichick replied: “Sorry – I f—ed this up. I double checked & I misread the text. I think they are naming Daboll. I’m sorry about that. BB”

According to the lawsuit, Flores was then "forced to sit through a dinner with Joe Schoen, the Giant’s [sic] new General Manager, knowing that the Giants had already selected Mr. Daboll. Much worse, on Thursday, January 27, 2022, Mr. Flores had to give an extensive interview for a job that he already knew he would not get — an interview that was held for no reason other than for the Giants to demonstrate falsely to the League Commissioner Roger Goodell and the public at large that it was in compliance with the Rooney Rule.”

Daboll was hired as the Giants head coach on Jan. 28.

The Giants responded on Tuesday after being named in the lawsuit.

“We are pleased and confident with the process that resulted in the hiring of Brian Daboll,” the team said in a statement. “We interviewed an impressive and diverse group of candidates. The fact of the matter is, Brain Flores was in the conversation to be our head coach until the eleventh hour. Ultimately, we hired the individual we felt was most qualified to be our next head coach."

Read the entire lawsuit here.

India Arie Joins Exodus From Spotify

Photo credit: Benedict Evans

Neo-soul artist India Arie joined a growing list of prominent defectors from the Spotify streaming music platform on Monday.

The artist, who has been nominated for 23 Grammys and taken home four awards over the course of her lauded career, took to Instagram to declare her reasons for leaving.

“Neil Young opened a door that I MUST walk through,” Arie wrote, referencing the legendary Canadian-American singer and songwriter leaving Spotify last week because of Joe Rogan continuing to share vaccine misinformation on "The Joe Rogan Experience," Spotify's most popular podcast of 2021.

Young, in a since-deleted open letter to his management team and record label demanding they remove his music from Spotify, wrote, “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation being spread by them. Please act on this immediately today and keep me informed of the time schedule."

The artist received his wish, and despite an apology from Rogan and assurances by Spotify that the misinformation spread on its podcasts would be debunked on its own popular science program, other musicians have continued to follow his lead.

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Musicians Joni Mitchell, Nils Lofgren and Graham Nash are among the most prominent, along with bestselling author Brené Brown — who recently signed an exclusive deal with the platform.

Rogan and his guests' bad takes on science, however, were not the only reason Arie chose to remove her catalog. She cited the host's controversial comments on race in her post.

 

“I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons other than his Covid interviews. For me, it’s also his language around race,” Arie wrote. “What I am talking about is respect — who gets it and who doesn’t. Paying musicians a fraction of a penny? And him $100 [million]? This shows the type of company they are and the company that they keep,” she continued. “I’m tired.”

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