As Hip-Hop Wired previously reported, LL Cool J was up for contention during his first year of eligibility but it was announced that he didn't make the final cut.

Other artists that were up for contention as well, but didn't make the finals, included Disco Queen Donna Summer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Kiss. This year's inductees will be Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, ABBA, The Hollies, Genesis and The Stooges and they will be bestowed their honor on March 15, 2010 at the ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

So far, only two Hip-Hop acts have been inducted into the prestigious Hall. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious 5 were inducted in 2007 and The Kings of Rock… Run-DMC were bestowed the honor last year.

During his life, Rhone helped introduce Jamaican culture to American lives with the country's first feature film, The Harder They Come. Released in 1972, the crime film tells the story of a Jamaican man that comes to America chasing the American dream and was a predecessor to Shottas. The main character, played by reggae singer Jimmy Cliff, finds himself enraptured in America's drug culture and ultimately winds up dead. The film had a massive following and was referenced in songs like “The Guns of Brixton” by rock group, The Clash.

Rhone is also responsible for the hit Jamaican stage play, “Two Can Play.”  While the play has no relation to the American movie starring Vivica Fox and Morris Chestnut, Rhone's play tells the story of a husband and wife attempting to one up each other in a series of antics to regain each other's love and attention. He received stellar praise for his works and was honored as the focus of the Caribbean Cultural Theater's film festival in 2006.