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.
