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| LL Cool J attends the 2023 Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Phoenix Awards at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. The Grammy-winning rapper and actor is among the 2026 Songwriters Hall of Fame nominees. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) |
For LL, the recognition goes beyond chart success; it’s an overdue acknowledgment of a writer who helped define the emotional and lyrical range of modern rap. The Songwriters Hall of Fame honors those whose words and melodies have shaped the sound of popular music. His nomination follows the earlier inductions of Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, and The Neptunes, further carving hip-hop’s rightful place in the songwriting canon.
Eligibility begins twenty years after an artist’s first commercial release — a milestone LL passed long ago, after exploding onto the scene in 1985 with Radio, his Def Jam debut that made a teenage James Todd Smith a household name. “I Need Love,” “Around the Way Girl,” “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “Going Back to Cali,” and “Illegal Search” — the five songs highlighted in his nomination — span his versatility, from the first mainstream rap love ballad to battle-ready anthems that redefined hip-hop’s toughness.
The 2026 ballot, announced this week, also nods to pop titans Taylor Swift and Sarah McLachlan, rock innovators David Byrne and the Go-Go’s, glam icons Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of Kiss, and hit-making producer-songwriters like Pete Bellotte and Andreas Carlsson. It’s a class that connects disco’s glitter, rock’s rebellion, and hip-hop’s lyricism under one roof — a reflection of how much songwriting itself has evolved. Ballots are due by midnight December 4, 2025, with the official induction gala scheduled for next year in New York City.
Complete nominee list
Representative songs are a sample from each catalog.
Performing songwriters ▶
- Gerry Beckley & Dewey Bunnell (America)“A Horse with No Name,” “Ventura Highway,” “Sister Golden Hair,” “I Need You,” “Tin Man.”
- David Byrne“Once in a Lifetime,” “Psycho Killer,” “Burning Down the House,” “This Must Be the Place,” “Strange Overtones.”
- Richard Carpenter“Goodbye to Love,” “Top of the World,” “Yesterday Once More,” “Only Yesterday,” “Merry Christmas Darling.”
- Harry Wayne Casey (KC and the Sunshine Band)“Rock Your Baby,” “Get Down Tonight,” “That’s the Way (I Like It),” “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty,” “Please Don’t Go.”
- Randy Bachman & Burton Cummings (The Guess Who)“These Eyes,” “Laughing,” “No Time,” “American Woman,” “No Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature.”
- Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley (Kiss)“Rock and Roll All Nite,” “I Love It Loud,” “Calling Dr. Love,” “Shout It Out Loud,” “Christine 16.”
- Kenny Loggins“Danny’s Song,” “Footloose,” “Celebrate Me Home,” “Return to Pooh Corner,” “What a Fool Believes.”
- Sarah McLachlan“Angel,” “Sweet Surrender,” “I Will Remember You,” “Building a Mystery,” “Adia.”
- Alecia B. Moore (P!nk)“Glitter in the Air,” “Just Like a Pill,” “Raise Your Glass,” “So What,” “What About Us.”
- Boz Scaggs“Lido Shuffle,” “Lowdown,” “We’re All Alone,” “Thanks to You,” “Look What You’ve Done to Me.”
- James Todd Smith (LL Cool J)“Mama Said Knock You Out,” “I Need Love,” “Around the Way Girl,” “Going Back to Cali,” “Illegal Search.”
- Taylor Swift“All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” “Blank Space,” “Anti-Hero,” “Love Story,” “The Last Great American Dynasty.”
- Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine & Jane Wiedlin (The Go-Go’s)“We Got the Beat,” “Our Lips Are Sealed,” “Vacation,” “Head over Heels,” “This Town.”
Songwriters ▶
- Walter Afanasieff“All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “My All,” “Hero,” “Love Will Survive,” “One Sweet Day.”
- Pete Bellotte“Hot Stuff,” “I Feel Love,” “Love to Love You Baby,” “Heaven Knows,” “Push It to the Limit.”
- Andreas Carlsson“I Want It That Way,” “Bye Bye Bye,” “It’s Gonna Be Me,” “That’s the Way It Is,” “Waking Up in Vegas.”
- Steve Kipner“Physical,” “Hard Habit to Break,” “Genie in a Bottle,” “These Words,” “Breakeven.”
- Jeffrey Le Vasseur (Jeffrey Steele)“What Hurts the Most,” “My Wish,” “Knee Deep,” “The Cowboy in Me,” “I’d Give Anything / She’d Give Anything.”
- Patrick Leonard“Like a Prayer,” “Live to Tell,” “Nevermind,” “You Want It Darker,” “Yet Another Movie.”
- Terry Britten & Graham Lyle“What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” “Typical Male,” “Devil Woman,” “I Should Have Known Better.”
- Bob McDill“Everything That Glitters Is Not Gold,” “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” “Gone Country,” “Don’t Close Your Eyes,” “Song of the South.”
- Kenny Nolan“Lady Marmalade,” “My Eyes Adored You,” “I Like Dreamin’,” “Masterpiece,” “Get Dancin’.”
- Martin Page“We Built This City,” “These Dreams,” “King of Wishful Thinking,” “Faithful,” “Fallen Angel.”
- Vini Poncia“Do I Love You,” “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” “Oh My My,” “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” “Just Too Many People.”
- Tom Snow“He’s So Shy,” “Let’s Hear It for the Boy,” “Dreaming of You,” “Don’t Know Much,” “After All.”
- Christopher “Tricky” Stewart“Umbrella,” “Single Ladies,” “Obsessed,” “Just Fine,” “Break My Soul.”
- Larry Weiss“Rhinestone Cowboy,” “Bend Me, Shape Me,” “Hi Ho Silver Lining,” “Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore,” “Darling Take Me Back.”
