Snoop Dogg, Sade and Teddy Riley have been selected as nominees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They are among the 21 finalists, both as individuals and as a team, in the running for the Class of 2023.
Songwriters become eligible for the Hall of fame 20 years after the first commercial release of a song they wrote or co-wrote.
Eligible voting members will be tasked with choosing three nominees from the songwriter category and three from the performing-songwriter category, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Voters will have until Dec. 28 to turn in their ballots.
Snoop Dogg is one of the most prolific rappers of all time with a catalog of music that dates to the early ’90s. As one of hip-hop’s most enduring MCs, he’s written hits like “Gin and Juice,” “Who Am I (What’s My Name)” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”
Sade, the four-piece British alternative soul band that singer Helen “Sade” Adu leads, has been one of the most influential bands in music history. The group has recorded only six studio albums, but all of them have gone platinum, featuring hits like “Smooth Operator,” “Sweetest Taboo,” “No Ordinary Love” and “By Your Side.”
Riley, the architect of New Jack Swing, has been a hit factory unto himself since his teens. He’s responsible for writing and producing mega-hits across R&B, hip-hop and pop, including Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative,” Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” and Keith Sweat’s “Make It Last Forever.”
Also nominated is Gloria Estefan. As both frontwoman of the Miami Sound Machine and a solo act, Estefan has lent her pen to many hits that combined Latin and pop, including “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” “1-2-3” and “Coming Out of the Dark.”
The other nominees are Bryan Adams, R.E.M., Blondie, Heart, The Doobie Brothers, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, Patti Smith, Steve Winwood, Vince Gill, Jeff Lynne, Glen Ballard, Tom Snow, Dean Pitchford, Liz Rose, Dean Dillon, Franne Golde, Bobby Hart and Tommy Boyce.
