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.
...Keep reading this article on DEADLINE.
