The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will officially announce the members of its 2022 induction class on May 4th. Future Rock Legends predicts the inductees in the Performer category will be:

1. Eminem: Assuming Eminem gets inducted this year, that will make five first-ballot hip hop artists in the last 10 years (Public Enemy, 2Pac, Biggie, Jay-Z, Eminem), compared to four first-ballot rock bands (Nirvana, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters). The tide has shifted.
2. Duran Duran: This year's runaway Fan Vote winners should get in right away after waiting 15 years for the Rock Hall to give them an opportunity on the ballot.
3. Pat Benatar: After missing out in 2020, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo are back on the ballot and out on tour this summer. A Rock Hall induction should help sell a few more tickets.
4. Judas Priest: In recent years, a number of artists have been inducted in the third year on the ballot, including Todd Rundgren, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails, The Cars, and Janet Jackson. Judas Priest is hoping that voters looking for rock artists on the ballot will gravitate towards them on their third nomination.
5. Dionne Warwick: In 2021, Warwick was nominated for the first time on a ballot stacked with artists who were already Hall of Famers like Tina Turner, Carole King, and Dave Grohl. With the uncertainty around Dolly Parton's status, this year's path is significantly clearer.
6. Lionel Richie: It's pretty well established at this point that the Rock Hall likes to have big recognizable names at their induction ceremonies, whether it is the inductees or the presenters. Richie is one of a handful of icons who the Rock Hall has missed, but seems intent on correcting. (Look for names like Willie Nelson, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan, and Cher to be next in line).
7. Dolly Parton: Speaking of icons, the whole kerfuffle around her nomination will be a minor footnote by the time the inductees get honored in Los Angeles in November. The Rock Hall won't pass up a chance to get Dolly on stage while they have the chance.

Additional Notes:

• The last time there were seven performer inductees was 2019. Seems warranted again this year.
• Check out our public Ballot Tracker to get a glimpse at the ballots of over 40 voters.
• Even with endless possibilities in the Special Categories, look for the reasonably predictable inductions of Chaka Khan in Musical Excellence (seven nominations is enough) and the MC5 in Early Influence (as a parting gift to MC5-champion Jon Landau, who is expected to be stepping down as chairman of the Nominating Committee soon).
• A couple hours after the Fan Vote opened, the five artists at the top of the standings were Duran Duran (3rd), Eminem (5th), Pat Benatar (1st), Eurythmics (4th), and Dolly Parton (2nd). Nearly three months and five million more votes later, the same artists were still in the top five, just in a different order. So much wasted time and energy (not to mention creating animosity between rival fanbases).
• For other perspectives and predictions for the class of 2022, look through our Twitter page where you will find retweets of other Rock Hall experts.

For fifteen years we have been conducting an unofficial poll on this site which requires voters to select five artists on their ballot. The results (after 1538 ballots):

1. Duran Duran 67% (they appeared on 67% of the ballots)
2. Pat Benatar 58%
3. Judas Priest 51%
4. Eurythmics 42%
5. Carly Simon 39%
6. Dolly Parton 38%
7. Eminem 37%
8. Lionel Richie 30%
9. Rage Against the Machine 23%
10. Beck 22%
11. Kate Bush 19%
12. Dionne Warwick 19%
13. Devo 17%
14. A Tribe Called Quest 14%
15. New York Dolls 9%
16. MC5 9%
17. Fela Kuti 5%