Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music (1979–1984), and often by extension the music in the period preceding it (see Roots of hip hop). The image, styles and sounds of the old school were exemplified by figures like the Fat Boys, Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, The Treacherous Three, Funky Four Plus One, Fab 5 Freddy and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. This was later sent into decline with the advent of new school acts Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J, with these latter acts now themselves often considered old school as we move further away in time from their initial impact.