Jay Z could make musical history as the first rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame after being nominated Thursday.
Candidates are eligible after 20 years of writing music.
This is the first year of eligibility for Jay Z, who issued his debut album Reasonable Doubt in 1996.
Since then, he's racked up writing credits under his birth name of Shawn Carter on hits including Hard Knock Life, Empire State of Mind and '03 Bonnie & Clyde, his duet with Beyoncé.