This year was a big one for N.W.A as the group known for introducing gangsta rap to the mainstream returned to the headlines. “Straight Outta Compton,” a biopic about N.W.A, clobbered the competition at the box office, introducing the group’s music to a new generation.This year marks the first time Janet Jackson has made the list of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees. She holds the record for the most consecutive Top 10 hits by a female artist on the Billboard Hot 100 — 18.Since beginning as the Chicago Transit Authority in 1969, the soft-rock band Chicago has become revered for its jazz-tinged tunes. Hits such as “If You Leave Me Now” are a mainstay on many easy-listening playlists.Cheap Trick’s nearly 40-year career includes generations of fans. The band’s first five albums are said to have been made in a rock and roll tsunami from 1977 to 1980.Chic has made the list of nominees 10 times. The band was heralded for having rescued disco in 1977 with a combination of groove, soul and distinctly New York City studio smarts.Deep Purple helped to establish the popularity of hard rock, selling more than 100 million albums. Along with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple is part of the “holy trinity of hard rock and metal bands.”The East Los Angeles group Los Lobos was already well-known on the Mexican-American music scene before becoming a pop sensation in the 1980s.Nine Inch Nails has made singer-songwriter Trent Reznor a star. The 1994 breakthrough album “The Downward Spiral” received a boost when the group appeared that same year at Woodstock ’94.Steve Miller began his career as a bluesy rock artist before transitioning into pop. Hits such as “Fly Like an Eagle,” “Jet Airliner” and “Jungle Love” have cemented his place in rock history.The new wave scene gave birth to the Cars in the late 1970s. The group parted ways in the late ’80s, but some members reunited in 2011 for the album “Move Like This.”The J.B.s started as a backup band for James Brown but went on to become one of the mainstays in the funk genre. Some members became the backbone of George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic.The Spinners remain a beloved R&B group with hits such as “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” and “Then Came You.”The English rock band Yes formed in 1968, with hits into the 1980s such as “Owner of a Lonely Heart.” The group continues to tour with new members.Chaka Khan first came to fame as the lead singer of the funk-rock group Rufus. She quickly established a successful solo career, earning a Grammy in 2008 for best R&B album with “Funk This.”
