Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Fela misses out from 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Fan vote selection and subsequent inductions do not always tally.

• May 12, 2021
Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti
Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti [Photo credit: NME]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has revealed the list of musicians who made the cut for its 2021 inductees in a video post on Wednesday. 

The announcement by Rock Hall, via a tweet, saw American rapper Jay-Z, who ranked lowest during fan voting, earn a spot.

The Foo Fighters, The Go-Go’s, Carole King, Todd Rundgren and Tina Turner will all be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, per the revelation. 

Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, was missing from the list despite being second among voters with his very first nomination, ahead of the Go-Go’s, Iron Maiden, and Foo Fighters.

Fela had topped the votes back in February with more than 56,000 votes while Tina Turner garnered just over 52,000 votes on the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame official page. 

Tina Turner eventually topped the fan vote with more than 585,000 ballots while Fela Kuti gained more than 545,000 votes.

Artists are eligible for induction into the Hall of Fame after they released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. 
The 36th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will hold later in the year on October 30 at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland, Ohio.

The induction happens every year, where five and seven acts are chosen by the Rock Hall,  followed by fans voting online, however, fan vote selection and subsequent inductions do not always tally.

 In 2020, only one of the five Fan Vote acts actually got inducted, The Doobie Brothers were selected, though Dave Matthews gathered the most votes. 

According to the chairman, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, John Skyles, this years selection shows the diversity and depth of the artists and music the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrates.

“These Nominees have left an indelible impact on the sonic landscape of the world and influenced countless artists that have followed them,” he said.

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Gov Ododo

States

Tinubu advised me never to negotiate with criminals, Gov Ododo says

“I don’t play with criminals, and I don’t negotiate with them. I can tell you that, as far as Kogi State is concerned, we don’t have a department for ransom payment,” he said.

Pete Hegseth

Heading 1

U.S. has spent $37.5 billion on Iran war: Hegseth

“The estimate we have as of today is $37.5 billion,” Mr Hegseth said.

Toba Ajiboye

Lagos

Slain Lagos NURTW organising secretary buried amid tears

Mr Ajiboye died days after he was attacked by gunmen.

Migrants' boat

Africa

144 refugees, migrants dead, missing off Mauritania coast: UNHCR

“The refugees and migrants were reported dead or missing after attempting the perilous sea journey from West Africa towards Europe,” the agency said.

Daniel Ortega and Marco Rubio

World

U.S. govt condemns Ortega’s ban on elections in Nicaragua 

Mr Rubio urged the international community to rise against Mr Ortega’s dictatorship.

Oleksandr Syrskyi

World

Zelensky sacks Ukraine’s top general after firing defence minister

Mr Syrskyi’s dismissal came days after Mr Zelensky fired Ukraine’s defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, a decision that sparked protests across the country.