Los Angeles rappers N.W.A., whose legacy gained new life with the hit movie “Straight Outta Compton,” join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday with a quartet of 1970s era rock acts.
Cheap Trick, Chicago, Deep Purple and Steve Miller are also being honored at a ceremony in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
N.W.A.’s rough-hewn tales of life on the streets tilted the balance toward West Coast rap in the late 1980s on songs like “F— the Police,” ”Boyz-N-The Hood” and “Straight Outta Compton.”
WATCH: ‘Straight Outta Compton’ Stars React To Box Office Success
Following the act’s breakup, Dr. Dre became one of music’s most in-demand producers and a billionaire with a high-tech headphone company. Ice Cube moves between music and a successful acting career.
Named for one of N.W.A.’s best-known songs, the movie “Straight Outta Compton” told the band’s story and was one of the biggest box office winners of 2015.
WATCH: ‘Straight Outta Compton’ LA Premiere
Deep Purple’s induction was hailed by heavy metal fans. Yet they enter the hall amid some hard feelings: the band’s current members refused to perform with Ritchie Blackmore, the guitarist who came up with the signature riff for “Smoke on the Water.”
Miller came out of a blues background in San Francisco and later became a dependable author of FM rock hits like “fly Like an Eagle,” ”Jet Airliner” and “Jungle Love.”
Chicago was known for a brassy, jazz-rock fusion in its early days and settled into a comfortable career penning pop hits. Among their favorites were “Saturday in the Park,” ”25 or 6 to 4,” ”If You Leave Me Now” and “Does Anyone Really Know What Time it Is?”
The pride of Rockford, Illinois, Cheap Trick’s career soared in the late 1970s when a live album recorded before a gleeful Japanese audience added excitement to tracks like “Surrender” and “I Want You to Want Me.” The band just released a new disc on the hot Big Machine label.
HBO is filming Friday’s show and will air highlights later this spring.
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