Although Eric B. & Rakim were far from the first Rap stars of note, they may have done more to further the genre of Hip Hop than anyone else on the latter half of the 1980’s. With unequalled chemistry, the duo comprised of Eric B.’s solid DJ skills and the leading MC of his time, Rakim. This was the Hip Hop blueprint that others would follow as the combinations of articulate MCs and creative DJs became staples on industry labels for years to come. The next wave of Hip Hop heavyweights largely pointed to Eric B. & Rakim as one of their great influences. Although they did not dominate the charts, this duo has a real shot to be a first ballot entry as the Hall has shown it does appreciate the genre of Rap. 

Drawing from the American Heartland with a healthy mix of Adult Contemporary, Bruce Hornsby and the Range delivered the mid 80’s a dose of piano based Americana that racked up fans and acclaim. Hornsby won the 1987 Best New Artist Grammy and looked to have a career of healthy album sales ahead of him. That didn’t quite happen as Hornsby would utilize his piano skills from other influences like Bluegrass, Folk and Jazz. His talent in his concerts and albums was certainly evident, but he did not necessarily make music that would appeal to the masses. Since Hornsby did have a huge commercial splash, his versatile talent could get him in.

Although he is a punch line for how to screw up a career (and Whitney Houston’s for that matter) Bobby Brown was the master of the New Jack Swing movement and for a time he was easily the biggest R&B star on the planet. Bobby Brown’s slick produced sound was copycatted across radio station across America. He attracted the women without alienating the men and he could move from danceable R&B to crooning ballads to thuggish Rap with ease. Bobby Brown’s career unraveled in the mid 90’s with weaker music and constant problems with the law where he would become a reality show joke (on a good day) in the decade that followed.

Teppo Numminen did not receive a lot of press during his NHL career, as he spent the majority of his time with the Winnipeg Jets, who would later become the Phoenix Coyotes.  Having said that, Numminen is one of the few players to have played twenty seasons in the National Hockey League and at the time of his retirement his 1,327 was the most played (since broken) by a European player, though sadly for Numminen, he still holds the record for the most games played without wining a Stanley Cup.