2017 is set to be a vintage year for Jay Z – not only is his wife Beyonce expecting twins, but he’s also set to become the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

The world-famous rap icon, who has scored more Billboard chart-topping albums than Elvis Presley, has 21 Grammys to his name and more than a hundred credited appearances in charting singles over his two-decade-long career, will join the Hall of Fame alongside fellow 2017 inductees Max Martin, Motown founder Berry Gordy, Chicago and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.

Jay ZJay Z is the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers, who was himself inducted last year, made the announcement of 2017’s honourees on CBS’ ‘This Morning’ on Wednesday (February 22nd). The ceremony will be held on June 15th in New York City.

“Jay Z was in a space where, even though he's had more pop albums than anyone else, because he did it through rap, which isn't considered part of the normal pop music scene,” he explained, having been asked by the hosts why it had taken such a long time to include a rapper in the Hall of Fame’s 38 year history.

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“It's massive. He has changed the way that we listen to music. He's changed the way that we have fun,” he continued about the ‘Empire State of Mind’ hitmaker.

“We grow up knowing that we're going to be anonymous,” Rodgers said about being a songwriter and composer rather than a star in general. “Here's the rules of being a composer: you're gonna be poor and you're gonna be unknown.”

After the announcement, the Hall of Fame’s co-chairman Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff stated that the decision to honour Jay Z was because the organisation was “definitively into recognizing music creators of the 21st century while continuing to honour the greats of earlier decades.”

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