The National Recording Registry has announced its list of inductees for 2022, including material from NY natives Alicia Keys, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan and more. Inductions are based on cultural, historical or aesthetic importance.
The 2022 class features inductions of Hip Hop and Latin sounds, as well as historical radio broadcasts, a podcast interview and presidential speech. After receiving over 1,000 nominations, the Library of Congress announced the finalized list of recordings that will be inducted this year.
Harlem native Alicia Keys will receive the honor of having her 2001 debut album, Songs in A Minor, immortalized in the LOC registry. The album became a critical success immediately after its release and won Best R&B Album at the 2002 Grammys.
A Tribe Called Quest’s 1991 album The Low End Theory will also be inducted, due to its innovative fusion of jazz and rap. The group’s sophomore album was championed by critics as a milestone for alternative rap, opening doors for future artists like Pharrell, Mos Def and The Roots and launching Busta Rhymes’s career.
Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 album Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) shaped the sound of hardcore rap and changed the way East Coast rap would sound for years after. The group’s impact on pop culture runs deep and wide as members have launched their own projects. The Staten Island collective has launched the careers of many members including Method Man, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Ghostface Killah
James P. Johnson’s ‘Harlem Strut’ cemented the jazz pianist as one of the best of his time. He composed many hit songs including ‘The Charleston’ and inspired a number of great acts to follow including Duke Ellington, Pat Flowers and Cliff Jackson. The pioneering artist was seen as the bridge between ragtime and jazz.
Max Roach’s 1960 album We Insist! Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite covered a crucial time of racial injustice and civil rights in America. The five track album was found to be “too controversial” at the time of its release, but has finally been recognized as an important aspect of Black peoples’ fight for equality and liberty. It has been called a “jazz landmark” and “enduring civil rights statement”.
Public radio station, WNYC, will make an appearance thanks to their courageous coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The NPR station broadcast the first details of the World Trade Center attacks, even as they struggled to keep the signal live. The station would continue to give updates throughout the day.
The full list of National Recording Registry inductees can be found here.
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