Jay Z will be the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
Babyface, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis will also be inducted.
— -- Jay Z, Babyface and the songwriting and production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are among this year's inductees into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The artists will receive the honor at the organization's 48th Annual Induction and Awards dinner on June 15 in New York City.
Jay Z will be the first rapper to be inducted.
Motown founder Berry Gordy, who deferred his induction in 2016, will also be inducted this year. Additional honorees include three members of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group Chicago -- Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Peter Cetera -- and Swedish songwriter/producer Max Martin, who's written more Billboard #1 hits, usually for pop stars like Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, NSYNC and The Weeknd, than any other person except for John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
"With our 2017 roster of inductees, the Songwriters Hall of Fame moves definitively into recognizing music creators of the 21st century while continuing to honor the greats of earlier decades," said songwriters Hall of Fame co-chairs Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and president Linda Moran in a statement.
The statement adds, "The combination of contemporary sounds and timeless hits of the past is certain to make for an unforgettable evening."
Babyface is being inducted both for his own work as a solo artist -- with hits including "When Can I See You" and "Never Keeping Secrets" -- and as the hits he wrote for other artists like Whitney Houston, Brandy, Eric Clapton, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton, Beyonce and many more.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis have more Billboard #1 hits than any other songwriting and production team in history. Starting out in Prince's protege group "The Time," they went on to write and produce hits for Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Usher, Mariah Carey, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Beyonce, Rihanna, Mary J. Blige and countless others.
The Songwriter's Hall of Fame requires that artists have at least 20 years of writing credits before they can be inducted. Jay Z released his debut album "Reasonable Doubt" in 1996.
ABC News' William Gretsky contributed to this report.
