AFRIKA BAMBAATAA

'Afrika Bambaataa' is a DJ and community leader from the South Bronx, who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1970s. Like the majority of the early pioneers in Hip-Hop, he is of African American descent.

Contents

History

Discography

Music sample

External links

References

History

During a time in New York City where gang life was 5 times as populated as the city's police department, Hip Hop culture was emerging in an attempt to stop the violence.
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 he rose to the position of Division Leader. After a life-changing visit to Africa, he changed his name to 'Afrika Bambaataa Aasim'. Bambaataa was influenced by the courage and strategic brilliance of Shaka Zulu seen in the movie and tv series "Shaka Zulu".
Bambaataa decided to use his leadership to turn those involved in the gang life into something more positive to the community. This began the development of which soon later became known as the Universal Zulu Nation, a group of socially & politically aware rappers, B-boys, graffiti artists and other people involved in hip hop culture. By 1977, inspired by DJ Kool Herc and after getting his first equipment loaned to him from Disco King Mario, Bambaataa had begun organizing block parties all around the South Bronx. He even faced his mentor, Disco King Mario in a DJ battle.
Bam began Performing at Stevenson High School and forming a group calling it the Bronx River organization, then Later the Organization. Bam had deejayed with his own sound system at the Bronx River Community Center, with Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, and Cowboy, who accompanied him in performances in the community. Because of his prior status in the Black Spades, Bam already had an established party crowd drawn from former members of the gang. He became known as one of the best in the Bronx.
About a year later he reformed a group, calling it the Zulu Nation (inspired by his wide studies on African history at the time). Five b-boys (break dancers) joined him who he called the Shaka ZULU Kings, a.k.a. ZULU Kings; there were also the Shaka Zulu Queens. As Bam continued deejaying, more DJs, rappers, break dancers, graffiti writers, and artists followed his parties, and he took them under his wing and made them members of his Zulu Nation.
Bam formed the SoulSonic Force, which in its original makeup, consisted of approximately twenty Zulu Nation members. Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, DJ Cowboy SoulSonic Force (#2)-Mr. Biggs, Pow Wow, G.L.0.B.E. (creator of the "MC popping" rap style), DJ Jazzy Jay Cosmic Force-Queen Lisa Lee, Prince Ikey C, Ice Ice (#1), Chubby Chub; Jazzy Five-DJ Jazzy Jay, Mr. Freeze, Master D.E.E., Kool DJ Red Alert, Sundance, Ice Ice (#2), CharlieChew, Master Bee; Busy Bee Starski, Akbar (Lil, Starski), Raheim. The personnel for the Soul Sonic Force were groups within groups that Bam would perform and make records with.
In 1980, Bam and his groups made their first recording with Paul Winley Record titled, "Death Mix".
Winley also recorded Soul Sonic Force's landmark single, "Zulu Nation Throwdown", produced by disco king mario. Disappointed with the results of the single Bam left the company.
In 1982, Hip-Hop artist Fab 5 Freddy was putting together music packages in the largely white downtown Manhattan New-Wave clubs, and invited Bam to perform at one of them, called the Mudd Club. It was the first time Bam had performed before a predominantly white crowd, making it the first time Hip Hop fused with White culture. Attendance for Bam's parties downtown became so large that he had to move to larger venues, first to the Ritz, with Malcolm McLaren's group, Bow Wow Wow (and where the Rock Steady Crew b-boys became part of the Zulu Nation), then to the Peppermint Lounge, The Jefferson, Negril, Danceteria, and the Roxy. "Planet Rock", a popular single, came out that June under the name Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. The song melded electronic hip hop beats with the main melody from Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express", as well as portions from records by Ennio Morricone and Captain Sky - thus creating a new style of music altogether, electro funk. It influenced many styles of electronic and dance music, e.g. freestyle music, house music and techno music.
Bambaataa organized the very first European hip hop tour. Along with himself were rapper and graffiti artist Rammellzee, Zulu Nation DJ Grand Mixer DXT (formerly Grand Mixer D.St), B-boy and B-girl crews the Rock Steady Crew, and the Double Dutch Girls, as well as legendary graffiti artists Fab 5 Freddy, Phase 2, Futura 2000, and Dondi.
Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three main originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and "Godfather" of Hip Hop Culture as well as The Father of The Electro Funk Sound.
Bam's second release around 1983 was "Looking for the Perfect Beat," then later, "Renegades of Funk," both with the same SoulSonic Force.
Bam began working with producer Bill Laswell at Jean Karakos's Celluloid Records, where he developed and placed two groups on the label, "Time Zone" and "Shango". He did "Wildstyle" with Time Zone, and in 1984 he did a duet with punk-rocker John Lydon and Time Zone, titled "World Destruction" which was the first time ever that Hip Hop was mix with Rock predating RunDmc's duet with Areosmith "Walk This Way". Shango's album Shango Funk Theology was also released by the label in 1984. That same year Bam and other Hip Hop celebrities appeared in the movie Beat Street. Bam also made a landmark recording with James Brown, titled "Unity." It was admirably billed in music industry circles as "the Godfather of Soul meets the Godfather of Hip Hop."
Around October 1985 Bam and other music stars worked on the antiapartheid album Sun City with Little Steven Van Zandt, Run-D.M.C., and Lou Reed and numerous others. During 1988 Bam recorded another landmark piece as Afrika Bambaatea and Family. The work featured Nona Hendryx, UB40, Boy George, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and yellowman, and it was titled The Light. Bam had recorded a few other works with Family three years earlier, one titled "Funk you" in 85, and the other titled Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere) in 1986.
In 1990 Bam made Life magazine's "Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" issue. He was also involved in the antiapartheid work "Hip Hop Artists Against Apartheid" for Warlock Records. He teamed with the Jungle Brothers to record the album Return to Planet Rock (The Second Coming).
Greenstreet Records, John Baker, and Bam organized a concert at Wembley Stadium in London for the A.N.C. (African National Congress), in honor of Nelson Mandela's release from prison. The concert brought together performances by British and American rappers, and also introduced both Nelson and Winnie Mandela and the A.N.C. to Hip-Hop audiences. In relation to the event, the recording Ndodemnyama (Free South Africa) helped raise approximately $30,000 for the A.N.C. Bam also helped to raise funds for the organization in Italy.
In 1993 he left Tommy Boy and signed with Capitol Records, released ''The Light'' (as Afrika Bambaataa & the Family), which included aid from George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Boy George and UB40.
Around the early 90's, Hollywood began making a stream of violent movies glorifying California gang life, fueling hype about "bloods" and "crips". The bloods and crips, 2 major black street gangs that feud in west coast ghettos, had now been adopted by New York and other east coast hoodlums who admired the image seen on screen.
A rash of initiation assaults, raids and gang violence resurrected after being denounced in the begging stage of Hip Hop.
Suddenly a trend of blood and crip association and attire was seen in rap music. Gangs began to target innocent people and fight with each other.
Bambaataa, having seen it before lead to increased negativity, began holding peace conferences.
Bam called on all gang leaders from the Latin kings street gang, crips, and bloods and formed a peace treaty in the streets.
Bambaataa is credited for preventing huge gang wars and a outbreak of crime while outsiders and politicians credited Rudy Guilianni, the Mayor of NYC at the time.
From the mid-1990s, Bam returned to his electro roots, collaborating with Westbam (who was named after him) and culminating in 2004's album ''Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light'' which featured Gary Numan and many others. In 2000, Rage Against the Machine covered Afrika's song "Renegades of Funk" for their album ''Renegades''. Also in 2000, Afrika Bambaataa collaborated with Leftfield on the song "Afrika Shox", the first single from Leftfield's ''Rhythm and Stealth''. Afrika Shox is also popularly known from the soundtrack to ''Vanilla Sky''. In 2006, he featured on the British singer Jamelia's album Walk With Me on a song called Do Me Right, and on Mekon's album ''Some Thing Came Up'', on the track ''D-Funktional''.
Bambaataa has also performed a variety of both hilarious and serious voice over character roles in the international television series known around the world as Kung Faux [1] from Dubtitled ''Entertainment'' and Tommy Boy Films [2].

Discography

'Year'	'Title'	'Label'
1982	"Planet Rock"	Tommy Boy Records (12")
1982	"Looking For The Perfect Beat"	Tommy Boy Records (12")
1983	"Renegades of Funk"	Tommy Boy Records (12")
1983	"Wildstyle"	Celluloid Records (12")
1984	''Frantic Situation (with Shango from the motion picture soundtrack "Beat Street")''	Tommy Boy Records
1985	''Sun City (Artists United Against Apartheid)''	EMI
1986	''	Tommy Boy Records (12")
1986	''Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere)''	Tommy Boy Records
1987	''Death Mix Throwdown''	Blatant
1988	''The Day''	EMI America
1991	''The Decade of Darkness 1990-2000''	EMI Records USA
1992	''Don't Stop... Planet Rock (The Remix EP)''	Tommy Boy (EP)
1993	"Zulu War Chant"	Profile (12")
1993	"What's the Name of this Nation?... Zulu"	Profile (12")
1993	"Feeling Irie"	DFC (12")
1994	"Pupunanny"	DFC (12")
1994	"Feel the Vibe"	DFC (12") (with Khayan)
1996	"Jazzin'" by Khayan	ZYX
1996	''Lost Generation''	Hottie
1996	''Warlocks and Witches, Computer Chips, Microchips and You''	Profile
1997	''Zulu Groove''	Hudson Vandam (Compilation)
1998	"Agharta - The City of Shamballa"	Low Spirit (12") (with Westbam)
1999	''Electro Funk Breakdown''	DMC
1999	''Return to Planet Rock''	Berger Music
2000	''Hydraulic Funk''	Strictly Hype
2000	''Theme Of The United Nations w/ DJ Yutaka''	Avex Trax (Japan Only)
2001	''Electro Funk Breakdown''	DMX (Compilation)
2001	''Looking for the Perfect Beat: 1980-1985''	Tommy Boy Records (Compilation)
2001	''Lovage: Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By''	Nathaniel Merriweather (Dan The Automator)
2004	''Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light''	Tommy Boy Records
2005	''Metal''	Tommy Boy Records
2005	''Metal Remixes''	Tommy Boy Records

Music sample

External links

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★ Afrika Bambaataa interview from 2005 in Los Angeles by Street Gangs Media

★ Afrika Bambaataa at Rolling Stone

References