Ozzy Osbourne, Mariah Carey top 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its nominees for the class of 2024 over the weekend.

• Now for the fun part — speculating on who will be inducted.

Why it matters: This year's ceremony returns to Cleveland and will take place on a yet-to-be-announced date this fall.

The nominees:

• Mary J. Blige
• Mariah Carey
• Cher
• Dave Matthews Band
• Eric B. & Rakim
• Foreigner
• Peter Frampton
• Jane's Addiction
• Kool & the Gang
• Lenny Kravitz
• Oasis
• Sinéad O'Connor
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Sade
• A Tribe Called Quest

The intrigue: The three big names are Carey, Cher and Osbourne, each receiving their first nomination as solo artists (Osbourne was previously inducted with Black Sabbath).

• Other first-time nominees are Foreigner, Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Kravitz, Oasis, O'Connor and Sade.

Between the lines: It appears if you participated in a recent Rock Hall ceremony, you had a great chance of being nominated.

• That's the case for Carey, Dave Matthews, Frampton, Kravitz and Osbourne, who all either inducted someone or appeared in a tribute video.

💭 My thought bubble: My gut reaction is that Carey and Osbourne are locks. The same goes for Cher, assuming she softens her stance on the Rock Hall.

• I also think Kravitz, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner and A Tribe Called Quest get in.

The other side: O'Connor is a wild card given her recent passing, while Eric B. & Rakim seem poised for a Music Excellence Award a la LL Cool J in 2021.

What's next: A voting pool of more than 1,000 music historians, journalists and previous inductees will select the class of 2024, which will be announced in late April.

• You can participate in the annual Fan Vote on the Rock Hall's website.