Ne-Yo and will.i.am are among the nominees for the Songwriters Hall of Fame Class of 2027. Hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Melle Mel and hitmaker Kandi Burruss are also on the ballot.

The Hall splits its nominees into two categories. Ne-Yo, listed under his legal name Shaffer Smith, is nominated as a Performing Songwriter alongside Melle Mel, listed as Melvin Glover. will.i.am, listed as William Adams, appears among the Songwriters with Burruss.

The slate also includes producer-songwriter Maurice Starr, the band WAR, and the Norwegian duo Stargate, whose credits include Beyoncé’s Irreplaceable and Rihanna’s Diamonds. Lady Gaga, P!nk, Shakira, Sia, Vince Gill and Jack White round out the performing field.

Two Catalogs That Shaped a Generation

Ne-Yo’s credits include So Sick, Let Me Love You and Take a Bow, along with Irreplaceable. His catalog spans his own hits and records he wrote for other stars.

will.i.am’s catalog runs from Where Is the Love? to I Gotta Feeling and Scream & Shout.

Melle Mel’s The Message and White Lines (Don’t Do It) helped define hip-hop as social commentary. Burruss, who co-wrote TLC’s No Scrubs and Destiny’s Child’s Bills, Bills, Bills, celebrated her nomination in a video.

Songwriters become eligible 20 years after the commercial release of their first song. Eligible voting members may choose up to three nominees in each category, with ballots due by midnight EST on December 14, 2026. The Class of 2027 will be inducted at the Hall’s Induction & Awards Gala in New York City.