A seminal Bronx DJ during the 1970s,
Afrika Bambaataa ascended to godfather status with Planet Rock, the 1982
hip-hop classic which blended the beats of
hip-hop with techno-pop futurism inspired by German pioneers
Kraftwerk. Even before he began recording in 1980,
Bambaataa was
hip-hop's foremost DJ, an organizer and promoter of the large block parties during the mid- to late '70s which presaged the rise of
rap. After the success of Planet Rock, he recorded
electro-oriented
rap only sparingly, concentrating instead on
fusion -- exemplified by his singles with ex-
Sex Pistol John Lydon and fellow godfather
James Brown.
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A seminal Bronx DJ during the 1970s,
Afrika Bambaataa ascended to godfather status with Planet Rock, the 1982
hip-hop classic which blended the beats of
hip-hop with techno-pop futurism inspired by German pioneers
Kraftwerk. Even before he began recording in 1980,
Bambaataa was
hip-hop's foremost DJ, an organizer and promoter of the large block parties during the mid- to late '70s which presaged the rise of
rap. After the success of Planet Rock, he recorded
electro-oriented
rap only sparingly, concentrating instead on
fusion -- exemplified by his singles with ex-
Sex Pistol John Lydon and fellow godfather
James Brown.
Bambaataa had moved to the background by the late '80s (as far as
hip-hop was concerned), but the rise of his Zulu Nation collective -- including
De La Soul,
Queen Latifah,
A Tribe Called Quest, and
the Jungle Brothers -- found him once more being tipped as one of
rap's founding fathers.
Born in the Bronx on April 10, 1957, Afrika Bambaataa Aasim took his name from a 19th century Zulu chief. Beginning in 1977,
Bambaataa began organizing block parties and breakdancing competitions around the Bronx. His excellent turntable techniques and knowledge of music led many to proclaim him the best DJ in the business (though
Grandmaster Flash and DJ Kool Herc were more innovative), and his record debut -- as a producer -- came in 1980 with Soul Sonic Force's "Zulu Nation Throwdown." The single was a rallying cry for the Zulu Nation, a group of like-minded Afrocentric musicians that only gained fame in the late '80s but had been influencing the rise of
hip-hop crews since the late '70s.
Aside from more production credits on several later singles during 1980-1981,
Afrika Bambaataa didn't become an actual recording artist until 1982. He signed with Tommy Boy records and released his first single, "Jazzy Sensation," early that year. "Planet Rock" followed in June and quickly exploded. Recorded with the help of producer/dancefloor authority
Arthur Baker and assimilating the melody of
Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express," the single hit number four on the
R&B charts (but missed the pop Top 40) and joined the Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" as one of the early classics of
hip-hop. (
Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" followed just three months later.) In the single's wake came dozens of
electro groups and recordings, though none touched the quality of "Planet Rock" -- except, perhaps,
Bambaataa's own follow-up, "Looking for the Perfect Beat." Out of those
electro groups came several predominant
dance styles of the 1980s and '90s:
Detroit techno, Miami bass, and, to a more limited extent, Chicago house.
Freed somewhat by his new-found popularity,
Afrika Bambaataa began branching out in 1984, recording "Unity" with help from
James Brown and "World Destruction" with
John Lydon (as Time Zone). That same year,
Bambaataa delivered an album debut of sorts, Shango Funk Theology, recorded as
Shango with
Material personnel
Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn. A virtually LP-length single titled "Funk You!" appeared in 1985, after which
Bambaataa recorded his proper album debut, Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere). He left Tommy Boy in 1986 after an album compilation of "Planet Rock" mixes, and signed with Capitol. The first album release for the label was 1988's The Light, recorded as
Afrika Bambaataa & the Family, which included contributions from
George Clinton,
UB40,
Bootsy Collins, and
Boy George. Three years later,
Bambaataa's third album, 1990-2000: Decade of Darkness, was released on Capitol, coinciding with his career retrospective Time Zone, released on his own Planet Rock Records.
Bambaataa recorded erratically during the '90s, but returned to the mainstream in 1997 with Zulu Groove. The new millennium brought the release of
Hydraulic Funk on Strictly Hype, and Electro Funk Breakdown followed in early 2001. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
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