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 ...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 ...

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.