According to the Associated Press, Jay Z has been nominated for the 2017 Songwriters Hall of Fame. If inducted, the seasoned MC will become the first rapper to earn the honor.Â
Other nominees include Madonna, Max Martin, Sly Stone, Kool & The Gang, and Babyface. The full list of nominees is available here.
Songwriters become eligible for nomination after twenty years of writing lyrics. Jay Z's career hit the two decade mark earlier this year, as he celebrated his debut album Reasonable Doubt's twentieth anniversary in June. Jay Z's career has spawned multiple hits and earned him several honors, including 21 Grammy awards, 8 MTV VMAs, 7 BET awards, and 3 AMA awards.
Eligible members of the organization are allowed to vote for two performing songwriters and three non-performing songwriters. Five individual songwriters or songwriting teams will be inducted to the Hall of Fame in June 2017 at a special New York City event.
The news of Jay Z's Songwriters Hall of Fame nomination comes shortly after Tupac Shakur earned a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination.
Roc Nation sent their congratulations to Jay via Twitter.