6 takeaways from the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ballot

Now that we've had a couple of days to digest this year's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees, it's time to break down the ballot.

Why it matters: The 2024 ceremony saw record viewership and this year's inductions are once again poised to feature several big names.

• The 2025 ballot features 14 artists — some expected and others not so much:

Hey Ya!

Outkast is the only hip-hop act on this year's ballot, a genre that has been honored each of the past five years.

💭 Thought bubble: The Atlanta duo is one of the biggest rap groups of all time and a defining act of its era. Expect to see André 3000 and Big Boi in LA this fall.

Women who rock

There are only two female-led acts on the ballot in Mariah Carey and Cyndi Lauper.

• The good news is they're both very likely to be inducted, with no similar artists like Cher or Mary J. Blige to split votes like last year.

The new Dave Matthews Band

No act on this year's ballot has a more rabid fanbase than Phish. The band is already winning the annual Fan Vote by a wide margin.

• I doubt many Phishheads are among the Rock Hall's voting pool. Expect the group to wait a few years like Dave Matthews Band.

No Coldplay

There's been buzz about Coldplay earning a nomination since the band became eligible in 2023, but that hasn't happened.

• There's a Britpop pecking order and voters prefer a band like Oasis, which paved the way for Coldplay.
• The timing is also right for Oasis, with the Gallagher brothers reuniting this year.

Who is Maná?

The Grammy-winning Latin band's nomination seemingly came out of nowhere. The Rock Hall has inducted Latin music artists before, but those acts — Santana, Ritchie Valens and Linda Ronstadt — are far more well-known to American audiences.

• It's good timing to emphasize Spanish-language music with the ceremony taking place in Los Angeles.
• The Rock Hall would also love for its ceremony to be as big as the Grammys, an institution that honors Latin music with its own awards show.

Checkered past

Chubby Checker, who earned his first nomination after being eligible for nearly 40 years, has feuded with the Rock Hall.

• He has protested his lack of induction on the museum's front steps and once told the museum to "drop dead."
• I don't know if Checker gets voted in, but if not, he's certainly a candidate for the Award for Musical Excellence.

What's next: The Rock Hall's class of 2025 will be announced in late April.

Go deeper: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's fan vote has been eerily precise