Throughout the decades, music has created several legends.

In honor of Black History Month, here are five black recording artists who have made amazing strides in the music industry throughout the decades:

‘70s: “Innervisions” by Stevie Wonder

On Aug. 3, 1973, Stevie Wonder released his 16th studio album under Motown Records. This album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1973 and spawned several singles such as “Higher Ground,” “Living for the City,” “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing” and “He’s Misstra Know-It-All.” Wonder was a voice for the decade, an influencer on race, drugs and political issues. “He’s Misstra know It-All” was made in response to political issues against former president Richard Nixon. He went on to win Album of the Year two more times in 1974 and 1976, according to the Grammys website.

‘80s: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson

Jackson’s second studio album under Epic Records, “Thriller,” is often seen as the greatest album of all time. The album was released on Nov. 30, 1982, and was produced by Quincy Jones. This Grammy award-winning album spawned several number one singles such as “The Girl is Mine,” “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin,” “Human Nature” “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” and of course “Thriller.” Jackson’s junior epic album, “Bad,” sparked five billboard No.1 hits, but “Thriller” is the most globally known due to a game-changing short film music video for the song. The video is a pop-culture phenomenon and is still relevant today, according to Billboard’s website.

’90s: “Ready to Die” by The Notorious B.I.G.

The Notorious B.I.G. swept the scene on Sept. 13, 1993, and dropped his first studio album, “Ready to Die.” This album birthed the popular singles “Big Poppa” and “Juicy.” Although a sophomore album was released a few years later, this was unfortunately the only album to be released during Biggie Smalls’ short lifetime. Many have called this album a movement and one of the best hip-hop albums of the ’90s due to the explicit experiences Biggie speaks about his upbringing in Brooklyn, according to Rolling Stone’s website.

’00s: “Graduation” by Kanye West

Kanye West’s junior studio album was released on Sept. 11, 2007, by Roc-A-Fella Records and was a continuation to the trilogy of albums West previously released like “College Dropout” in 2004 and “Late Registration” in 2005. The album spawned several successful No. 1 hits such as “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” “Stronger,” ”Flashing Lights” and “Homecoming.” The third installment of this planned trifecta was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year, according to Complex’s website.

’10s: “Beyoncé” by Beyoncé

On Dec. 13, 2013, Beyoncé released her fifth studio album under Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records, without any prior promotional announcements or marketing. The self-titled, audio-visual album, “Beyonce” did extremely well, flying straight to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100. The album spawned successful singles such as “XO,” “Drunk in Love” and “Flawless.” Beyoncé won a Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album for the album, according to the Grammys website.