Jay-Z and Psy Among the 'TIME' Person of the Year Nominees

This week, TIME announced its nominees for the 2012 Person of the Year, including a handful of pop culture figures in its usual mix of politicians, activists, and entrepreneurs. The music industry got not one but three nods, as Jay-Z, Psy, and Pussy Riot were all nominated.


Though Jay-Z didn't score any breakway hits in 2012, he still had a massive year, kicking off with the birth of his first daughter with Beyoncé Knowles in January (we're going to go ahead and predict she'll be nominated for this honor a couple of decades down the line). He also launched his own music festival, performed eight sold-out shows at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, and with his wife raised a LOT of money for Barack Obama's re-election campaign.


Psy transfixed America with his dance hit "Gangnam Style," and while it's uncertain whether the Berklee grad will ever have a follow-up hit in North America, he's certainly charmed his way to the top of YouTube.

Meanwhile, Pussy Riot, the anonymous performance art collective, drew attention to ongoing civil rights infringements in Russia after three of the members were sentenced to prison after staging a punk rock protest decrying the Putin regime.

The Person of the Year will ultimately be selected by TIME's editors, but they're allowing readers to cast their votes for fun's sake on the magazine's website. Voting closes December 12, with the "winner" announced on December 14. The official TIME Person of the Year will be announced December 21, when the issue goes on sale.