Afrika Bambaataa is an
American DJ from the
South Bronx, who was instrumental in the early development of
hip hop throughout the 1980s.
[Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, pp 63, 89, 91, 94-101, 141, 170, 182-183. ] Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying
[Modulations: A History of Electronic Music, Peter Shapiro, ed. New York: Caipirnha Productions Inc., 2000, p. 152], and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and "Godfather" and The Amen Ra of Universal Hip Hop Culture as well as The Father of The Electro Funk Sound. Through his co-opting of the street gang the
Black Spades into the music and culture-oriented
Universal Zulu Nation, he is responsible for spreading hip hop culture throughout the world.
[Welcome to The Official site of The Universal Zulu Nation] On
September 27,
2007, he was nominated for induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
[[1]Remix Magazine]
History
Afrika Bambaataa grew up in one of the 15-story towers of the Bronx River Projects, with an activist mother and uncle. As a child, he was exposed to the black liberation movements of the era, and witnessed debates between his mother and uncle regarding the conflicting ideologies of the movements. Importantly, he was also exposed to his mother's extensive and eclectic record collection.
Due to the official policy of benign neglect in regards to the Bronx in the 1970's, people joined gangs for safety reasons. The gangs became the law in the absence of law, clearing their turf of drug dealers, assisting with community health programs and both fighting and partying to keep members and turf.
Bambaataa was a founding member of the Bronx River Projects-area
street gang The Savage Seven. Due to the explosive growth of the gang, it later became known as the
Black Spades, and Bambaataa quickly rose to the position of warlord. It was his job as warlord to build ranks and expand the turf of the Black Spades. Bambaataa was not afraid to cross turfs to forge relationships with other gang members, and with other gangs. As a result, the Spades became the biggest gang in the city in terms of both membership and turf.
