Afrika Bambaataa (/ˌæfrɪkÉ™ bæmˈbÉ'Ë tÉ™/; born Lance Taylor,
April 17, 1957) is an American disc jockey, rapper, songwriter and
producer from the South Bronx, New York. He is notable for releasing a
series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced
the development of hip hop culture. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the
originators of breakbeat DJing and is respectfully known as "The
Godfather" and "Amen Ra of Hip Hop Kulture", as well as the father of
electro-funk. Through his co-opting of the street gang the Black
Spades into the music and culture-oriented Universal Zulu Nation, he
has helped spread hip hop culture throughout the world. On May 6,
2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of The Zulu Nation due to
multiple child sexual abuse allegations dating as far back as the
1970s.Born as Lance Taylor to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants,
Bambaataa grew up in The Bronx River Projects, with an activist mother
and uncle. As a child, he was exposed to the black liberation movement
and witnessed debates between his mother and uncle regarding the
conflicting ideologies in the movement. He was exposed to his mother's
extensive and eclectic record collection. Gangs in the area became the
law, clearing their turf of drug dealers, assisting with community
health programs and both fighting and partying to keep members and
turf. Bambaataa was a member of the Black Spades. He quickly rose to
the position of warlord of one of the divisions. As warlord, it was
his job to build ranks and expand the turf of the young Spades. He was
not afraid to cross turfs to forge relationships with other gang
members, and with other gangs. As a result, the Spades became the
biggest gang in the city in terms of both membership and turf.After
Bambaataa won an essay contest that earned him a trip to Africa, his
worldview shifted. He had seen the movie Zulu and was impressed with
the solidarity exhibited by the Zulu in that film. During his trip to
Africa, the communities he visited inspired him to create one in his
own neighborhood. He changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim,
adopting the name of the Zulu chief Bhambatha, who led an armed
rebellion against unfair economic practices in early 20th century
South Africa. He told people that his name was Zulu for "affectionate
leader." Bambaataa formed The "Bronx River Organization" as an
alternative to the Black Spades.Inspired by DJ Kool Herc and Kool DJ
Dee, Bambaataa began hosting hip-hop parties beginning in 1977. He
vowed to use hip-hop to draw angry kids out of gangs and form the
Universal Zulu Nation. Robert Keith Wiggins, a.k.a. "Cowboy" of
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, is credited with naming
hip-hop; the term became a common phrase used by MCs as part of a
scat-inspired style of rhyming. Writer Steven Hager claims that the
first time "hip-hop" was used in print was in his Village Voice
article where he was quoting Bambaataa, who had called the culture
"hip-hop" in an interview. That said, the words "hip hop" do appear in
the 1979 track "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang. Afrika Bambaataa Biography, Weight & Height, Age, Nationality & Ethnicity
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