Whitney Houston and the Notorious B.I.G. have been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2020.

Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston

The late soul icon and the legendary rapper both appear on the list for the very first time as the organisation has unveiled a varied collection of nominees ahead the ceremony in March next year.

As revealed by SiriusXM VOLUME channel 106's 'Feedback' morning show, they are joined in the group of prospective inductee by Soundgarden, Dave Matthews Band, Pat Benatar, Judas Priest, Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk.

Also landing a spot amongst the nominees are the Doobie Brothers, MC5, Motorhead, Nine Inch Nails, T.Rex, Thin Lizzy, Todd Rundgren and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation President and CEO Joel Peresman revealed the news, with Whitney and Biggie joined by seven more first time shortlisted acts.

The Doobie Brothers, Motorhead, Soundgarden, T.Rex, Thin Lizzy and Benatar never never been nominated before.

From here, an international voting body of more than 1,000 artists, historians and members of the industry will have their say.

Fans will also get to vote at rockhall.com, in person at the Museum in Cleveland, or by searching "Rock Hall Fan Vote" or any nominee name and "vote" on Google.

The top five artists chosen by the public will make up a "fans' ballot" which will be counted along with other ballots to select the 2020 inductees.

To be inducted, an artist has to have released their first official recording at least 25 years ago.

The final list will be announced in January next year, with the induction ceremony itself following on March 29 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.