Afrika Bambaataa, dead at 67

Hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa has died on Thursday, according to TMZ, who report the cause being complications of cancer. He was 67.

Born Lance Taylor on April 17, 1957, he began hosting parties in the 1970s around the same time as Kool Herc and soon became known as a formidable DJ, rapper and producer. His debut single, 1980’s “Zulu Nation Throwdown,” referenced the Universal Zulu Nation, an art collective he founded for rappers, graffiti artists, and others looking to movie hip hop culture forward.

Bambaata’s real innovations came when he heard Kraftwerk and began making a distinctly electro style of rap — Bambaataa’s iconic 1982 “Planet Rock,” produced by Arthur Baker, incorporated a synth riff from Kraftwerk’s “Trans Europe Express” and drum machine beats from “Numbers.” With crews Jazzy 5 and Soulsonic Force, Bambaataa released many influential singles, collaborated with James Brown, PiL’s John Lydon (as Time Zone), George Clinton and more.

In more recent years, Bambaataa was at the center of controversy when he was accused in 2016 of child sexual abuse and trafficking by multiple men; he denied all charges but lost a civil case against him last May when he failed to respond to the lawsuit.