Jay-Z Becomes The First Rapper To Be Inducted Into The Songwriters Hall Of Fame

After receiving a nomination in October for the Songwriters Hall Of Fame, Niles Rodgers appeared on “CBS This Morning” on Wednesday (Feb. 22) to announce the honorees, including Jay-Z, Babyface, and more.

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Berry Gordy, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Peter Cetera of “Chicago,” Max Martin, and Shawn “Jay Z” Carter are being inducted into the prestigious group this year.

 

Rodgers says below that because hip-hop didn’t conform to previous conventions, it has taken time for the genre to be appropriately recognized. “But the truth is, the revolutionary people who come up with the next level of classical music are always the ones that go ‘Hmm, can I do this?’ and you do it. So Jay Z was in a space where even though he’s had more pop albums than anyone else, he did it through rap, which is not traditionally considered part of the normal pop music scene,” he says.

 

Jay-Z has accumulated 21 Grammys while selling over 100 million records sold — with Rodgers calling his contributions massive. “He has changed the way that we listen to music. He’s changed the way that we have fun. He’s changed the way that we cry,” he says.

The new songwriters will be inducted on June 15