Hip-hop was born in the Bronx, right? But it's equally indebted to Bergen County, which had the first rap record label and a vibrant scene of its own.

Paul Natkin // Getty Images. Kangol hats. Portrait of LL Cool J. When we think of ’80s hip-hop, bucket hats often come to mind. Big Bank Hank of The Sugarhill Gang was the first to wear a bucket ...

Early ’80s hip-hop royalty ranging from Melle Mel, Treacherous Three and Schoolly D performed one after another alongside golden-era stalwarts such as EPMD, Onyx, Black Sheep and Naughty By Nature.

In 1997, she opened her own beauty salon, and from 2003 to 2006, she was a radio personality for the LA station KKBT 100.3, with her own show featuring classic hip-hop.

And the thundering Roland beat on “P.S.K.” is one of the most recognizable rhythm tracks of ‘80s hip-hop, sampled and interpolated by everyone from the Notorious B.I.G. and Eminem to DJ ...

He’s really known as the godfather of hip-hop. During the ‘80s, he was a mediator between practitioners of the culture — if there was a beef, they would go to him. Advertisement.

All of it relates to the early '80s hip-hop scene in North Jersey. Some names and and faces will be familiar. Others were known mainly to Bergen clubgoers of 40 years ago.

This list is in no particular order, as all the hip-hop and rap artists here all heavily contributed to the larger culture at hand. Run-D.M.C.: Easily one of the most iconic rap groups of the 80s ...

Roxanne Shanté, above, was the only woman in the Juice Crew, the 80s hip-hop collective based in Queens, and one of the first female M.C.s to gain notoriety.

Boston’s hip-hop artists made live appearances at every local college radio station to perform and be interviewed, continuing the tradition started at MIT’s “Lecco’s Lemma." ...

The Rink, in Bergenfield, may not be the mean streets of L.A., or a burnt-out block in the Bronx. But here, too, hip-hop happened. "It was just a general rink, a skating rink, but everybody wanted ...