Other names inducted into the class of 2023 include Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne, Gloria Estefan, Glen Ballard, Teddy Riley and Liz Rose, a frequent collaborator of Taylor Swift. The 52nd annual induction and awards gala will be held in New York on 15 June.
Heaping somewhat inevitable praise on Snoop Dogg, the organisation described the rapper as having “reigned for nearly three decades as an unparalleled force who has raised the bar as a globally recognized innovator”, and also recognised his other entrepreneurial ventures in lifestyle and consumer brands.
Snoop, real name Calvin Broadus Jr., has been one of the most recognisable names in rap history since his 1993 debut Doggystyle, released via Dr. Dre’s groundbreaking West Coast label Death Row Records. (The albums were a huge, multi-platinum-selling success – even if it was recently revealed that Dionne Warwick rounded up a number of the label’s figures, including Snoop, to reprimand them for their lyrics).
Sade, meanwhile, has been inducted on account of her “exceptional songwriting career spanning more than three decades”. The Nigerian-born, British singer had a major influence on RnB and smooth jazz, notably with her singles ‘Your Love Is King’, ‘No Ordinary Love’ and the seemingly ubiquitous 1984 hit ‘Smooth Operator’.
The four-time Grammy winner became the first African artist to win such an award when she was selected as Best New Artist in 1986.
The Songwriters Hall of Fame chairman Nile Rodgers, who knows his way round a track or two, has said: “The music industry does not exist without songwriters delivering great songs first. Without them there is no recorded music, no concert business, no merch… nothing, it all starts with the song and the songwriter.
“We are therefore very proud that we are continually recognizing some of the culturally most important songwriters of all time and that the 2023 slate represents not just iconic songs but also diversity and unity across genres, ethnicity and gender, songwriters who have enriched our lives and, in their time, literally transformed music and the lives of billions of listeners all over the world.”
Amen, to that.
