pearl-jam.jpg

Eddie Vedder (front) and the guys in Pearl Jam.

(Republic Records)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - N.W.A., Chicago, Deep Purple, Cheap Trick and Steve Miller will take their place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony in New York tonight.

Yet, if you're not a fan of hip-hop or rock bands from the 1970s, you may already be looking ahead to next year. The potential Class of 2017 includes one guaranteed inductee, as well as potential snubs from years past.

Here's a look at the candidates. Remember, these are acts eligible for nomination later this year to be inducted in New York City in 2017:

Definitely in:

Pearl Jam

fans might as well save up to book their trip for next year's ceremony. The band is the one lock to earn induction into the Rock Hall's Class of 2017, following the trend of other monster 1990s rock bands like Nirvana and Green Day. Perhaps even more so than those bands, Pearl Jam fits the mold of a proper Rock Hall Ceremony headliner, as all of its member are still living with little to no drama between any of them.

Questionable eligibility:

The Class of 2017 could feature another newly eligible act. But that depends on how the Rock Hall nomination committee chooses to evaluate

Rage Against the Machine

. An artist is eligible to be nominated 25 years after its first official release. That gets a bit dicey for Rage Against the Machine. The band's debut came out in 1992, which should make them eligible to be inducted in 2018. However, Atlantic Records controversially released the bands 1991 demo without permission 1991. Whenever they're on the ballot, Rage has a very good chance of making it in.

The hip-hop debate:

N.W.A. is the fifth hip-hop act to earn induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We may not have to wait long for the sixth. Late rap icon

2pac

is eligible to be inducted in 2017. Hip-hop has had a love-hate relationship with Rock Hall voters, as artists like LL Cool J and Eric B. and Rakim have failed to make the cut. Yet, 2pac marks the dawn of a new era, when hip-hop became a mainstream commodity. My guess is he may show up on the ballot but doesn't get in for a few years.

Recent surprises:

Moving away from first-time eligible acts, the biggest surprise of the past two years is probably

Nine Inch Nails

not getting in. The industrial rock band put an entire genre of music on the map. Nine Inch Nails will probably be on the ballot until inducted (which shouldn't take much longer). Then there's

Janet Jackson

, who made it on the ballot for the first time this past year. Many expected her to get in, but that didn't happen. Was that an anomaly or will the committee nominate her again?

Recent trends:

It will be interesting to see if the nomination committee continues to load the ballot with artists from the 1970s (and late 1960s), as it did this year. That would mean repeat nominations for

Yes

and

The Cars

, along with consideration for artists like

Electric Light Orchestra

,

Moody Blues

and

The Guess Who

.

Other possibilities:

Seeing as the Class of 2016 is one of the least buzzed about in recent memory, the nomination committee might look to liven things up a bit. Perhaps

Smashing Pumpkins

,

Pixies

,

Soundgarden

or

Sonic Youth

get a nomination. I'd also welcome another look at artists like

The Replacements

,

Bon Jovi

,

LL Cool J

,

New York Dolls

and

The Cure

. Then there are artists who should already be in like

Link Wray

,

Gram Parsons

and

Kraftwerk

. And for heaven's sake, would the committee just put

Chic

in already? Ten nominations are probably enough.