Grammy Hall of Fame inducts Rhythm Nation 1814 among 14 new recordings

The Recording Academy inducted 14 recordings into the Grammy Hall of Fame's 52nd class Friday at a Beverly Hills gala, honoring Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, albums by 2Pac and Selena, and works from Heart, Radiohead and Eric B. & Rakim, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

The annual ceremony recognizes recordings that have shaped music history across genres — from hip-hop to soul, rock and country — while the accompanying gala raises funds for the Grammy Museum's national education programs.

Jackson, speaking with On The Red Carpet's Rocsi Diaz on the red carpet, called the induction "an honor." Jimmy Jam, who produced Rhythm Nation 1814, told ABC7 Los Angeles the team's goal was to "just let her be her" and "try to capture that" throughout the recording process.

Chris Perez, husband of the late Selena, whose Amor Prohibido was among the honorees, credited devoted listeners with sustaining her legacy. "I mean we gotta thank the fans, for keeping it alive, keeping the music alive, her legacy alive and passing it down from generation to generation," Perez said, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Rock duo Heart were honored for their debut album Dreamboat Annie. "Well it's kinda like a dream. It's fantastic it really is," Ann Wilson said of the induction. Her bandmate Nancy Wilson highlighted the milestone for women in music: "It's awesome when girls coming up behind us feel, like, braver because we were out there busting doors down a little bit," she said.

Hip-hop pioneers Eric B. & Rakim were inducted for Paid In Full. William "Rakim" Griffin told ABC7 Los Angeles: "The Grammy Hall of Fame is a big thing so, you know, to be part of that, an underground artist, I feel good about that." Eric B. reflected on music's generations: "Everybody has their music, everybody had their time. We had our time. We're the upperclassmen and it's a great thing."

Relatives of the late 2Pac attended in his memory. Tupac's nephew Malik said his uncle's cultural imprint already transcends any award: "You go around the world, his face is on murals, on statues, on people's t-shirts from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich. This is nice and everything but that's kind of what it's all about," he said. Frequent collaborator Malcolm Greenidge, known as E.D.I. Mean, added: "For him, he would be honored. He would be over the moon about it and he would be saying 'I told you I was a legend,'" according to ABC7 Los Angeles.

Norah Jones received the Ray Charles Architect Of Sound Award at the ceremony. "I think the reason I love Ray Charles so much is that he made everything his own," Jones said. "I just want to honor him in the best way I can, which is to make him my own," she told ABC7 Los Angeles.

The Grammy Museum's education programs, sustained by gala proceeds, reach students across the country each year — positioning the Hall of Fame as both a living cultural archive and an investment in music's next generation.