Afrika Bambaataa: The father of electro funk
Afrika Bambaataa is a living legend. The man is known not only as a DJ, mc and musician, but also as an activist for black rights and peace across the globe. Born as Kevin Donovan, April 10 1960 in the Boogie Down Bronx – New York, his early roots were rolling with street gangs, as a founding member of the gang The Savage Seven, which as it grew in size became known as The Black Spades. He was known on the streets for a complete lack of fear, and for being the voice of reason between the various gangs of The Bronx.
After winning an essay writing competition, Kevin travelled to Africa where his views on the world were changed forever. While there, the communities he visited inspired him to stop the violence in his own neighborhood. He changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim, adopting the name of Zulu chief Bhambatha, himself a rebellious leader against apartheid.
Upon his return to New York, inspired by Dj Kool Herc and Kool Dj Dee, Bambaataa began hosting hip hop parties, vowing to use hip hop to draw angry kids out of gangs, and formed a new organization – The Universal Zulu Nation. Throwing wild block parties in The Bronx, he soon built up a huge following as a DJ – mixing a wide range of music from early electro, soul, go-go, reggae, rock, jazz, funk and African music.
Bambaataa is known as the Godfather of hip hop and Father of electro funk, and is even credited for giving hip hop its’ name – being the first to use it to describe the four elements of DJing, emceeing, breakdancing and graffiti writing.
In 1982 Bambaataa and his crew The Soul Sonic force shook the world with the release of their gold single Planet Rock. Lifting an eery synthesizer string section from Kraftwerk’s Trans Europe Express, and recreating the beat from their track Numbers on a Roland 808 combined with a groove from The Mexican’s Babe Ruth they created a whole new sound – electro funk.
The same year he hit Europe with the first ever hip hop tour. With an entourage including writers Dondi White (RIP), Zephyr, Phase 2, Futura 2000 and Fab Five Freddy, writer/mc Rammellzee and breakers the Rock Steady Crew and the Double Dutch girls along with Dj Grand Mixer DXT, Bambaataa took hip hop culture to the world. Bambaataa offered hip hop as a vision for global harmony.
In 83, The Soul Sonic Force released their second single Looking For the Perfect Beat – another one of the dopest and well known old school electro funk / rap joints of all time, and their album Renegades of Funk.
Over the years Bambaataa was associated with, and collaborated with a huge array of artists, including Arthur Baker, The Jonzun Crew, Fab Five Freddy, The Rock Steady Crew, Westbam, Leftfield and the one and only James Brown (RIP). Their resulting track, Unity, was hailed as the Godfather of soul meeting the Godfather of hip hop.
Next time you are nodding your head to a hip hop jam or rocking out to a dope electro beat, spare a thought for one of the originators!
“How you act, walk, look and talk is all part of Hip Hop culture. And the music is colorless. Hip Hop music is made from black, brown, yellow, red and white.” – Afrika Bambaataa
See you next Friday at 202 Broadway for Cold Crush – Sydney’s only monthly electro club.
