How well do you know Afrika Bambaataa

Afrika Bambaataa: DJ, Rapper, and Producer

• Afrika Bambaataa is a DJ, rapper, and producer from the South Bronx, New York, born on April 17, 1957.

• He released a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip hop culture.

• Bambaataa is one of the originators of breakbeat DJing.

• He co-opted the street gang the Black Spades into the music and culture-oriented Universal Zulu Nation, helping spread hip hop culture throughout the world.

• In May 2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of the Universal Zulu Nation due to multiple allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as the 1970s.

• Bambaataa's mother and uncle exposed him to the black liberation movement, and he was influenced by his mother's extensive and eclectic record collection.

• He was a member of the Black Spades and became the "warlord" in one of the divisions.

• Bambaataa formed The "Bronx River Organization" as an alternative to the Black Spades.

• He established two rap crews: the Jazzy 5 and the Soulsonic Force.

• Bambaataa is credited with borrowing a keyboard hook from German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, resulting in "Planet Rock," which went to gold status and generated an entire school of "electro-boogie" rap and dance music.

• He was the founder of the Soulsonic Force and the Universal Zulu Nation, the first hip-hop organization with an official birth date of November 12, 1977.

• Bambaataa was involved in the Stop the Violence Movement and recorded "Self Destruction," a 12" single which hit number one on the Hot Rap Singles Chart in March 1989.Afrika Bambaataa: Music Career and Child Sexual Abuse Allegations

• Afrika Bambaataa is an American disc jockey, rapper, and producer from the South Bronx, New York City, who is considered the godfather of hip-hop culture.

• He is best known for his 1982 hit "Planet Rock," which blended hip-hop and house music elements, regarded as an early example of the electro house genre.

• In 2000, Rage Against the Machine covered his song "Renegades of Funk" for their album, Renegades.

• He collaborated with Leftfield on the song "Afrika Shox," the first single from Leftfield's Rhythm and Stealth, which also appeared on the soundtrack to Vanilla Sky.

• In 2004, he collaborated with WestBam, a group that was named after him, on the album Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light, which also featured Gary Numan.

• Bambaataa was a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

• In 2007, he was one of the nine nominees for the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions.

• In 2012, Bambaataa was given a three-year appointment as a visiting scholar at Cornell University.

• In April 2016, Bronx political activist Ronald "Bee-Stinger" Savage accused Bambaataa of molesting him in 1980, when Savage was 15. Following Savage's allegations, three more men accused Bambaataa of sexual abuse.

• Bambaataa issued a statement to Rolling Stone denying the allegations, and in early May 2016, the Universal Zulu Nation disassociated themselves from Bambaataa as part of an organizational restructuring that saw the group removing "all accused parties and those accused of covering up the current allegations of child molestation" from their current roles in the organization.

• In October 2016, Vice published an investigative article titled "Afrika Bambaataa Allegedly Molested Young Men For Decades" and reported stories from the alleged victims and witnesses.

• No charges have been brought against Afrika Bambaataa to date, but in October 2021, he was sued by an anonymous man who alleged that between 1991 and 1995, Bambaataa engaged in repeated sexual abuse with him when he was a minor and also sex trafficked him to other adult men.

• Bambaataa has released several albums and singles throughout his career, including "Planet Rock," "Renegades of Funk," and "Afrika Shox."