Atlanta’s Outkast, Black Crowes nominated for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Outkast has the track record, respect and impact to get inducted. The Black Crowes, given the competition, has a tougher road to get the votes.

Winners are voted in by an international panel of 1,200 musicians, historians and music industry professionals. Fans can vote once a day until April 21 at rockhall.com, which counts as one single ballot.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which has been inducting members since 1986, has expanded the types of musical acts it has inducted in recent years, adding more country and hip-hop acts. Recent inductees include Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, A Tribe Called Quest and Missy Elliott.

It’s been 18 years since a Georgia act has been inducted: R.E.M. in 2007.

Other Georgians who are already in the hall include Ray Charles, James Brown, Little Richard, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Brenda Lee and Otis Redding. Former Atlantan Elton John was inducted in 1994.

Eligible artists must have released their first album at least 25 years ago. The Black Crowes’ “Shake Your Money Maker” came out in 1990 and Outkast debuted four years later with “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik.”

If inducted, Outkast could officially perform together for the first time since the duo’s 2014 farewell tour. They made an appearance during the Dungeon Family reunion at 2016’s One MusicFest. But André 3000 hasn’t seemed interested in an Outkast reunion as of late. In December, the rapper and flutist told Rolling Stone the following:

“I knew when I was, like, 25, that at a certain age I wouldn’t want to be onstage doing those songs. They required a certain energy. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of looking back. I’m just not.”

Outkast hasn’t dropped an album since 2006’s “Idlewild.” However, André 3000 has garnered critical acclaim for his first solo album “New Blue Sun,” the multi-instrumental project that dropped in 2023. “New Blue Sun” was nominated for album of the year at this year’s Grammys. The top honor went to Beyoncé‘s “Cowboy Carter.”

Following the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announcement, Big Boi posted the list of nominees on social media. The Black Crowes did the same, with the caption “Humbled.”

The Black Crowes were also Grammy nominated this year. “Happiness Bastards,” the band’s first LP since 2009, was nominated for best rock album, although they didn’t win. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution talked to the Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson about the group’s reunion last year:

“Sometimes you have to go out on a limb to come back. We were constantly pushing ourselves, trying for different things, all along. We never let our ‘success’ hold us back, in a sense, and instead of obsessing over trying to maintain it, we obsessed over writing better songs and basically taking them somewhere else.”