The Bronx Before the Fame: 15 Forgotten ’80s Hip-Hop Classics

Before Run-DMC. Before Biggie. Before Jay-Z became legends… there were the underground artists who literally built hip-hop in the Bronx, block by block, cipher by cipher.

These 15 tracks defined 1980s street culture without ever needing mainstream radio validation. From Grandmaster Flash’s conscious rap revolution to Afrika Bambaataa’s electronic innovation, from MC Shan and KRS-One’s legendary Bridge Wars to Kool G Rap’s lyrical foundation for 1990s golden age hip-hop.