The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class of 2026 includes Wu-Tang Clan, Sade and Luther Vandross as performers, with Queen Latifah and MC Lyte honored in the influence categories. The ceremony tapes Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and premieres in December on ABC and Disney+, the Hall said in its announcement of the class. Eighteen people and acts make up the class. Other R&B and hip-hop names were on the same ballot and did not make the cut, including Mariah Carey and Lauryn Hill.
Who Got in and How
The Hall announced the class April 13. Ryan Seacrest and 2022 inductee Lionel Richie announced the performers during a Rock Hall-themed episode of “American Idol,” according to the Hall. The performer inductees are Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan. The Early Influence Award went to Celia Cruz, Fela Kuti, Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Gram Parsons. The Musical Excellence Award went to Linda Creed, Arif Mardin, Jimmy Miller and Rick Rubin. Ed Sullivan received the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
The Hall’s own pages disagree on one label. The press release lists Queen Latifah and MC Lyte under the Early Influence Award. Her inductee page labels Latifah’s category “Musical Influence,” as does Fela Kuti’s page. The MC Lyte page does not state a category. John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in the announcement that induction is “music’s highest honor.”
What the Nomination List Shows
The Hall named 17 performer nominees on Feb. 25, in a separate release. Eight were inducted, or 47%. Six of the 17 nominees came from R&B or hip-hop: Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, New Edition, Sade, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan. Three of those six were inducted, or 50%. Among the other 11 nominees, five were inducted, or 45%. This is a calculation from the two Hall lists, and the groupings are ours. The Hall did not publish vote totals, and its releases do not say how close any act came.
Carey, Hill and New Edition were not inducted. Hill, New Edition, Vandross and Wu-Tang were first-time nominees, along with Jeff Buckley, Phil Collins, Melissa Etheridge, INXS, P!NK and Shakira. Ten of the 17 nominees were on the ballot for the first time. Two of the three R&B or hip-hop inductees, Vandross and Wu-Tang, got in on their first try.
The Hall says ballots go to an international panel of more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry professionals. Voters weigh impact on music culture, influence on later musicians and the scope and longevity of a career.
Wu-Tang Clan and the Solo Deal Model
The Hall’s Wu-Tang Clan page lists ten members: Cappadonna, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, RZA and U-God. It says the group formed on Staten Island, which it calls “Shaolin,” and names “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” from 1993 as the debut.
The page credits the group with changing how artists negotiated. Members could sign separate solo deals with different labels while remaining in the collective. It cites Method Man’s “Tical,” Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Return to the 36 Chambers,” GZA’s “Liquid Swords,” Raekwon’s “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx” and Ghostface Killah’s “Supreme Clientele” as solo albums tied to the group.
Five of the ten members have a solo album on that list. That is a count from the page, not a Hall statement about how many members released solo work. The page says the debut’s lo-fi production drew on Public Enemy’s cut-up techniques, with RZA’s tracks sampling soul music and kung-fu films. RZA described the mission as “wisdom of the universe,” per the page. It lists JAY-Z, Nas, Pusha T, Odd Future and A$AP Mob among artists the group influenced.
Luther Vandross and Sade
The Hall’s Luther Vandross page lists 11 consecutive platinum albums between 1981 and 1996 and 26 Top Ten R&B singles in the same span. His debut, “Never Too Much,” came out in 1981. “Dance With My Father” debuted at No. 1 in 2003. He died in 2005 at age 54.
Before his own records, the page says, he worked as a backing vocalist, songwriter and arranger in the early 1970s. It says he co-wrote “Fascination” with David Bowie for “Young Americans” and produced for Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Diana Ross in the 1980s. The page also notes that Kendrick Lamar’s “luther,” which samples Vandross’s “If This World Were Mine,” won Record of the Year at the 2026 Grammys. The page credits that award to Lamar’s song, not to Vandross.
The Sade page lists four members: Sade Adu on lead vocals, Andrew Hale on keyboards, Paul Spencer Denman on bass and Stuart Matthewman on saxophone. It says the lineup has not changed since the band formed in London in 1982. “Diamond Life,” the debut, sold about 10 million copies and won the Grammy for best new artist, the page says. Six studio albums have sold more than 50 million copies combined, per the Hall. Beyoncé and Drake have called Adu their muse, according to the page. It also says the band’s music found a home on Black radio, especially the late-night Quiet Storm format.
Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and the Women of Rap
Queen Latifah’s page says she was born Dana Owens in Newark, New Jersey, in 1970. A 1988 demo tape led to a deal with Tommy Boy Records. Her debut, “All Hail the Queen,” came out in 1989 and included “Ladies First.” Her 1993 album “Black Reign” was the first by a solo female rapper certified Gold by the RIAA, and it included the Grammy-winning “U.N.I.T.Y.,” the page says.
The MC Lyte page says she released “I Cram to Understand U (Sam)” at 17. Her 1988 debut “Lyte as a Rock” was the first full solo album by a female rapper, and “Eyes on This” in 1989 was the first solo female rap album to enter the Billboard 200, the page says. It says “Ruffneck” in 1993 earned a Grammy nomination and made her the first solo female rapper to reach Gold status.
The two pages claim the same Gold-status first for different artists. Latifah’s page credits “Black Reign” as the first Gold album by a solo female rapper, and Lyte’s credits “Ruffneck.” The Hall’s pages do not reconcile the claims. One difference is the unit: Latifah’s page refers to an album certification, while Lyte’s refers to a single reaching Gold.
Ceremony Details
The Hall says the ceremony tapes Nov. 14 at the Peacock Theater and airs in December on ABC and Disney+. The 2027 ceremony returns to Cleveland. The Hall’s 2026 inductees page links to ticket sales through AXS but does not list a date or venue on that page.
