Afrika Bambaataa, the pioneering rapper and DJ who tarnished his legacy with sex crimes against children, has died of complications from cancer, TMZ reports. He was 67.
Born Lance Taylor in the Bronx, New York, Afrika Bambaataa gained fame in the burgeoning hip-hop scene for DJing house shows and block parties. He became involved in the conscious rap movement Universal Zulu Nation, and his first single, 1980s “Zulu Nation Throwdown,” celebrated Black creative excellence. His commercial peak came with 1984’s “Planet Rock,” which reached No. 4 on the US R&B chart.
His last decade was marred by legal troubles, including multiple accusations of sexual abuse, sex trafficking, and pedophilia against boys and young men in the 1980s and ’90s. In 2025, he paid out a settlement to a man who alleged that Afrika Bambaataa abused and trafficked him to other adult men for four years starting at age 12. Hip-hop legend Melle Mel later claimed “everyone knew” about the abuse, calling it “hip-hop’s best kept secret.”
Related Video