Afrika Bambaataa

Biography

Afrika Bambaataa, born Lance Taylor in the Bronx, New York City, in 1957, was an American DJ, rapper and record producer who helped define hip-hop's early sound and carried the culture around the world. After rising through the Black Spades, he turned the group into the Universal Zulu Nation in the late 1970s and hosted block parties across the South Bronx, forming the Soulsonic Force and the Jazzy 5. His 1982 single Planet Rock, made with producer Arthur Baker and the Soulsonic Force, drew on Kraftwerk and funk, went gold and helped establish electro-funk as a genre. Known as the Master of Records, he released Looking for the Perfect Beat and Renegades of Funk, toured Europe on an early hip-hop tour, recorded Unity with James Brown, and appeared in the film Beat Street (1984). He died in 2026.

68years old at death

Born April 17, 1957New York City
Died April 9, 2026Pennsylvania
Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
Lance Taylor (birth name)

Movie Career

Films: 3
Career span: 36 years1984 to 2020

Every film, newest first

2020Beastie Boys StoryIMDb rating 7.7
2015808IMDb rating 7.3
1984Beat StreetIMDb rating 6.5

Genres

Did you know?!

About the name
Bambaataa changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim, taking the name of Bhambatha, a Zulu chief. Bhambatha led an armed rebellion in early 20th-century South Africa against unfair economic practices.
Big break
Fab Five Freddy, a hip hop artist, asked Bambaataa to play at the Mudd Club in 1981, and that was the first time Bambaataa faced a mostly white audience. His downtown parties then drew crowds too big for the original spots.
A first
In 1982, Bambaataa set off with a group of dancers, artists, and DJs on the first hip-hop tour outside the United States. He believed such tours were the key to expanding hip hop and his Universal Zulu Nation.
A change of course
Cornell University named Bambaataa a visiting scholar for three years in 2012, working with the university library's Hip Hop Collection. His vinyl, recordings and papers reached that collection in 2013.
Beyond film
In 1984, Bambaataa recorded "Unity" with James Brown. Music industry circles billed the landmark collaboration as "the Godfather of Soul meets the Godfather of Hip Hop".