When I heard the 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees were announced, I nearly leaped out of my chair to see the list.
Mariah Carey, New Edition and Lauryn Hill are among 17 phenomenal musical acts who are one step closer to joining a prestigious list of legends and peers as Hall of Famers.
Other nominees include The Black Crowes, Melissa Etheridge, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, P!NK, Shakira, Wu-Tang Clan, Jeff Buckley, Phil Collins, INXS, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, and Luther Vandross.
All of these talented groups and individuals deserve this honor. However, Mariah Carey, New Edition, and Lauryn Hill have shaped my musical taste, so I am especially rooting for them to earn a spot in the small inductee class.
Mariah Carey is finally getting her flowers
At this point, just give Mariah Carey a garden full of roses because she deserves every honor for her contributions to the music industry. People often forget that, at her peak, Carey was one of the highest-selling artists of all time. She’s still at the top of her game decades later. Here are some of her accomplishments:
- Her debut, self-titled 1990 album stayed at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 for eleven weeks
- She has five Grammys.
- Carey holds several Guinness World Records
- Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
- World Music Awards’ Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium
My current favorite Mariah Carey song is “Obsessed.”
New Edition: One of the best R&B groups of all time
I grew up in a family of true R&B lovers, so New Edition was and will always be on repeat. Despite their influence on rhythm and blues, they have zero Grammys and only one nomination. In my opinion, this is because R&B acts and the genre as a whole have not received the respect they deserve for decades. Here are some of their accomplishments:
- 4 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100
- 2 American Music Awards
- A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2017 BET Awards
My current favorite New Edition song is “Can You Stand The Rain.”
Lauryn Hill is the definition of rap royalty
No one calls Lauryn Hill the Queen of Female Rap because she doesn’t fit in one box. Hill is a true artist who made music with purpose. Her solo debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998), is one of the best musical projects of all time. Here are some of her accomplishments:
- The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill broke the record for largest first-week sales for a woman at the time (422,624 copies)
- 10 nominations at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards (most in a single ceremony for a woman at the time)
- 5 Grammy wins, including Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Best R&B Album
- Solo debut album was inducted into the 2024 Grammy Hall of Fame class
My current favorite Lauryn Hill song is “Ex-Factor.”
(Instagram/@mariahcarey,@newedition,@mslaurynhill)
