Throughout the year, two legendary Hip Hop acts have been said to be in strong candidates to be inducted into Cleveland, Ohio’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Two former Def Jam Records artists, The Beastie Boys and LL Cool J, were those reportedly in consideration, and had a strong endorsement from former manager and Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons.

Although the two New York Hip Hop acts will remain eligible for future induction classes, this year’s inductees included Neil Diamond, Dr. John and Tom Waits – who, last year, worked with emcee Kool Keith on N.A.S.A.’s The Spirit of Apollo.