Afrika Bambaataa Dead: Hip-Hop Pioneer Was 67

Afrika Bambaataa, one of the progenitors of hip-hop whose breakthrough track “Planet Rock” helped define electro-funk and influence generations of artists, has died according to friend and fellow member of the Zulu Nation, Mick Benzo. He was 67.

“Two days ago, I spoke with Afrika Bambaataa and found him in high spirits,” wrote Benzo in a social media post. “Today, however, I began receiving calls about his passing. Concerned, I reached out to him but received no response. My worries deepened, and I was heartbroken to learn it was true—he had peacefully fallen asleep and did not wake up.”

Bambaataa’s story goes back to the dawn of hip-hop.

In the 1970s, he began hosting block parties throughout the South Bronx that gave rise to groups including the Jazzy 5, the Soulsonic Force and the Universal Zulu Nation, an international hip-hop cultural group founded by Bambaataa. The Nation’s members and affiliates through the years have included some of the most influential artists in rap history.

His breakout hit was the 1982 “Planet Rock,” a groundbreaking electro-funk hit inspired by groups like Kraftwerk, whose “Trans-Europe Express” contributed a synth loop to the track.

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In the mid-eighties, Bambaataa appeared as himself in the movie Beat Street. His “Frantic Situation” also appeared on the soundtrack. Around the same time, he was one of those who contributed to the Artists Against Apartheid album Sun City. He also collaborated with James Brown on a track titled “Unity.”

In 2016, Bambaataa was accused of molesting teen in the 1980s. Other accusations followed, which he denied. As a result, the Universal Zulu Nation disassociated itself from its founder.

According to Rolling Stone, Bambaataa lost a civil case last year in which he was accused of child sexual abuse after he failed to appear in court.