U2 [ tickets ], Grandmaster Flash [ tickets ] & The Furious Five, Randy Newman [ tickets ], The Pretenders [ tickets ] and The O'Jays [ tickets ] are among the acts nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year.

Other new contenders for the class of 2005 include the J. Geils Band, Buddy Guy, Conway Twitty, Percy Sledge and Wanda Jackson, as well as previous nominees The Sex Pistols, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Patti Smith and The Stooges.

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five are the first rap act to be nominated for the Rock Hall, according to published reports.

Artists become eligible for induction into the Rock Hall's ranks 25 years after the release of their first record. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation's nominating committee, which is "composed of rock and roll historians," selects eligible nominees, and ballots are then sent to "an international voting body of about 1,000 rock experts," according to the Rock Hall's official website.

In December, the Rock Hall will announce who among the new nominees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Earlier this year, Prince, the late George Harrison, Bob Seger, ZZ Top, Jackson Browne, Traffic and The Dells were inducted.

Black Sabbath, widely recognized as one of heavy metal's most influential acts, has been overlooked for the 10th year since becoming eligible. Van Halen, which became eligible in 2003, also has yet to be nominated.