Zack de la Rocha is hoping the fifth time’s the charm…
The 53-year-old Mexican American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper and political activist and his fellow Rage Against the Machine band mates are among the fourteen 2023 nominees for induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Formed in 1991, the two-time Grammy-winning rock band is known for its melding of heavy metal and rap music with punk rock and funk influences, and its revolutionary socialist political views.
Rage Against the Machine was previously nominated in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
Here’s the complete list of nominees as announced by the The Rock Hall Foundation:
Kate Bush
Sheryl Crow
Missy Elliott
Iron Maiden
Joy Division/New Order
Cyndi Lauper
George Michael
Willie Nelson
Rage Against the Machine
Soundgarden
The Spinners
A Tribe Called Quest
The White Stripes
Warren Zevon
To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Eight out of 14 of the nominees are on the ballot for the first time: Crow, Elliott, Joy Division/New Order, Lauper, Michael, Nelson, The White Stripes, and Zevon.
This is the first year of eligibility for Elliott and The White Stripes.
“This remarkable list of nominees reflects the diverse artists and music that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honors and celebrates,” said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. “These artists have created their own sounds that have impacted generations and influenced countless others that have followed in their footsteps.”
The nominees were announced today on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame social channels and on SiriusXM Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Radio and Volume on the SXM App.
Nominee ballots will be sent to an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry. An artist’s musical impact and influence on other artists, length and depth of career and body of work, as well as innovation and superiority in style and technique are taken into consideration.
Last year’s Hall of Fame inductees were Dolly Parton, Eminem, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, Judas Priest and Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo.
Inductees will be announced in May. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2023 Induction Ceremony will take place this fall with date, venue, and on-sale information to be announced.