Perhaps coincendentally, or perhaps not, this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023 has a proportionally large number of women among the inductees, along with several other long-overlooked candidates.

In the Performer category are three iconic female artists: Kate Bush, Missy Elliott and Sheryl Crow, the latter two being first-time nominees. Elliott is the first hip-hop artist to receive the honor, and the sixth solo hip-hop artist and 11th hip-hop artist overall to get into the Hall.

Bush is finally in on her fourth try, thanks in part to Netflix’s Stranger Things, which used her 1985 single “Running Up That Hill” in an episode, making it a surprise 2022 hit. 

Also being inducted, via the Music Excellence Award category, is soul-funk powerhouse Chaka Khan, who had been previously nominated a combined seven times, both as a solo artist and as a member of Rufus.

Along with Crow and Elliott, this year’s other first-time nominees who are being inducted are British singer-songwriter George Michael, who died in 2016. Michael is one of the best-selling musicians of all time as both a solo artist and as the creative force in pop duo Wham!, who won this year’s fan vote. The other inductee is country legend Willie Nelson, who incredibly, had to wait until after his 90th birthday for the honor.

Among the 2023 inductees who, like Bush, have been nominated before are ’90s political rockers Rage Against the Machine (on their fifth try) and Philly soul vocal group the Spinners (finally getting in after their fourth nomination).

As for who didn’t make it in this year, the performer category nominees that were passed over this year include progressive hip-hop trio A Tribe Called Quest, Seattle grunge rockers Soundgarden, U.K. metal heads Iron Maiden, the late L.A. singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, pop-punk star Cyndi Lauper, Detroit garage-rock duo the White Stripes, and the dual nomination of Joy Division and New Order. The latter three were first-time nominees and will be eligible for induction in future ceremonies.

Joining Chaka Khan in 2023’s Music Excellence Award category, which recognizes “artists, musicians, songwriters, and producers whose originality and influence creating music have had a dramatic impact on music,” are ’60s folk legend Al Kooper and Bernie Taupin, Elton John’s longtime songwriting collaborator.

This year’s recipients of the Musical Influence Award, which goes to “artists whose music and performance style have directly influenced, inspired, and evolved rock ‘n’ roll and music impacting youth culture,” are two long-overlooked trailblazers: DJ Kool Herc, who originated breakbeat DJing, and late rockabilly guitar legend Link Wray.

The Ahmet Ertegun Award, which recognizes the music industry’s non-performers, will go to Don Cornelius, the creator and producer of the long-running and influential music-based television program Soul Train, who died in 2012.

“This year’s incredible group of Inductees reflects the diverse artists and sounds that define rock ‘n’ roll,” John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement Wednesday morning. “We are honored that this November’s induction ceremony in New York will coincide with two milestones in music culture: the 90th birthday of Willie Nelson and the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will take place Friday, November 3rd at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, with a TV special to air on HBO at a later date. The event’s performers and presenters will be announced later this year.

Though the Hall of Fame is located in Cleveland, Ohio, the induction ceremony rotates between venues in Los Angeles, New York and Cleveland. The Hall is looking to expande that list to include other locations, like London and Nashville, according to John Sykes, Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation.