The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation is pulling back the curtain on its 2025 inductees — a powerhouse lineup of trailblazing, genre-defying artists who have shaped the soundtrack of our lives.
The inductees include pop icon Cyndi Lauper, hip-hop duo Outkast, garage rockers the White Stripes, and more.
This year's announcement was fittingly delivered live Sunday night by Ryan Seacrest on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame episode of American Idol, setting the stage for a celebration of one of music's highest honors.
To be eligible for induction, an individual artist or band must have released their first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. Among the first-time nominees being inducted this year are Outkast, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, and Bad Company, whereas inductees Lauper, the White Stripes, and Soundgarden have all been nominated before.
In addition to those inductees, Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon are receiving the Musical Influence Award, which recognizes artists whose music and performance style have directly influenced, inspired, and evolved rock & roll and music impacting culture.
Thom Bell, Nicky Hopkins, and Carol Kaye are being honored with the Musical Excellence Award, which is given to artists, musicians, songwriters and producers whose originality and influence have had a dramatic impact on music. And Lenny Waronker is receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award, which goes to non-performing industry professionals who have had a major influence on the creative development and growth of rock music that has impacted culture.
"Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of Rock & Roll forever," said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in a statement. "Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps."
Read on for more on this year's honorees.
Bad Company
Award: Performer Category
This English rock group's first three albums — Bad Company (1974), Straight Shooter (1975), and Run with the Pack (1976) — reached the top five on the album charts in both their native U.K. and the U.S. They're known for singles and songs such as "Bad Company," "Can't Get Enough," "Feel Like Makin' Love," "Shooting Star," "Burnin' Sky," and "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy."
Chubby Checker
Award: Performer Category
Checker is an American singer and dancer widely known for popularizing the Twist dance style, thanks to his 1960 cover of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters' R&B song "The Twist." He's also known for his songs "The Fly," "Pony Time," and "Limbo Rock," all of which had accompanying dances as well.
Joe Cocker
Award: Performer Category
Cocker released a whopping 22 albums over the course of his 43-year career. His first album featured a recording of the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," which hit No. 1 in the U.K. in 1968 and became known across the pond as the theme song for the '80s TV series The Wonder Years. In 1974, Cocker released "You Are So Beautiful," which hit No. 5 in the U.S. and came to be a signature song. However, his best-selling hit was "Up Where We Belong," a duet with Jennifer Warnes that earned him a No. 1 spot on the U.S. charts and a 1983 Grammy. Cocker died in 2014, at 70.
Cyndi Lauper
Award: Performer Category
Lauper is a groundbreaking Grammy-, Emmy-, and Tony-winning singer and songwriter with global record sales in excess of 50 million. With her 1983 album She's So Unusual, Lauper became the first female artist to have a debut studio album with four songs that hit the top five of the Billboard Hot 100. Lauper classics include "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time," "She Bop," "All Through the Night," "True Colors," "Change of Heart," "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough," "I Drove All Night," and "That's What I Think."
Outkast
Award: Performer Category
The influential duo of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin) are widely considered one of the most creative and successful acts in hip-hop, having certified sales of 20 million records across six studio albums and one compilation album, as well as having won six Grammy Awards. Some of their best-known hits include "Player's Ball," "B.O.B.." "Ms. Jackson," "The Way You Move," and "Hey Ya!"
Soundgarden
Award: Performer Category
Credited with being pioneers of grunge music, Soundgarden are perhaps best known for their fourth album, Superunknown (1994), which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and produced the singles "Spoonman" and "Black Hole Sun," which both won Grammys. Their next album, Down on the Upside, launched at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and produced the hit singles "Pretty Noose," "Burden in My Hand," and "Blow Up the Outside World." Other popular hits include "Jesus Christ Pose," "Outshined," and "Rusty Cage." Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell died in 2017, at 52.
The White Stripes
Award: Performer Category
A duo credited with leading the 2000s indie rock scene, the White Stripes have released six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and one EP — with their most well-known being 2001's White Blood Cells and 2003's Elephant. They have six Grammys to their name, from 11 total nominations.
Salt-N-Pepa
Award: Musical Influence Award
Considered the "First Ladies of Rap," Salt-N-Pepa have sold more than 15 million records worldwide. They were the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status by the RIAA with their first album, Hot, Cool & Vicious, which also included the hit "Push It." But it was their 1993 album Very Necessary that was the highest-selling rap album by a female act (solo or group) in history at the time, and earned them a Grammy for the song "None of Your Business." Other Salt-N-Pepa hits include "Shoop," "Whatta Man," "Expression," and "Let's Talk About Sex."
Warren Zevon
Award: Musical Influence Award
An American rock singer and songwriter, Zevon was known for tunes like "Werewolves of London," "Lawyers, Guns and Money," and "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" — all off his popular third album, Excitable Boy. He also wrote songs for other artists, including the hits "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," "Mohammed's Radio," "Carmelita," and "Hasten Down the Wind." Zevon died in 2003, at 56.
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