Artist Biography by John Bush
A seminal Bronx DJ during the 1970s, Afrika Bambaataa ascended to godfather status with 'Planet Rock,' the 1982 hip-hop classic that blended the beats of hip-hop with techno-pop futurism inspired by German pioneers Kraftwerk. Even before he began recording in 1980, Bambaataa was hip-hop's foremost DJ, an organizer and promoter of the large block parties during the mid- to late '70s that presaged the rise of rap. After the success of 'Planet Rock,' he recorded electro-oriented rap only sparingly, concentrating instead on fusion -- exemplified by his singles with ex-Sex PistolJohn Lydon and fellow godfather James Brown. Bambaataa had moved to the background by the late '80s (as far as hip-hop was concerned), but the rise of his Zulu Nation collective -- including De La Soul, Queen Latifah, A Tribe Called Quest, and the Jungle Brothers -- found him once more being tipped as one of rap's founding fathers.
Born in the Bronx on April 17, 1957, Afrika Bambaataa Aasim took his name from a 19th century Zulu chief. Beginning in 1977, Bambaataa began organizing block parties and breakdancing competitions around the Bronx. His excellent turntable techniques and knowledge of music led many to proclaim him the best DJ in the business (though Grandmaster Flash and DJ Kool Herc were more innovative), and his record debut -- as a producer -- came in 1980 with Soul Sonic Force's 'Zulu Nation Throwdown.' The single was a rallying cry for the Zulu Nation, a group of like-minded Afrocentric musicians who only gained fame in the late '80s but had been influencing the rise of hip-hop crews since the late '70s.
This tribute show should be fire.A Tribe Called Quest/Zulu Nation Tribute with DJs Vitamin D and Sean Malik,The Royal Room, Seattle, WA, Fri Sept 6, 10 pm–1. Aug 20, 2013 (AllHipHop News) DJ Kool Herc is one originator that has become almost synonymous with the creation of the culture, but Quadeer “M.C. Spice” Shakur of. Jan 13, 2011 Category People & Blogs; Song Zulu Nation Throwdown; Artist Afrika Bambaataa Nation Cosmic Force; Album Looking For The Perfect Beat 1980 - 1985.
Aside from more production credits on several later singles during 1980-1981, Afrika Bambaataa didn't become an actual recording artist until 1982. He signed with Tommy Boy Records and released his first single, 'Jazzy Sensation,' early that year. 'Planet Rock' followed in June and quickly exploded. Recorded with the help of producer/dancefloor authority Arthur Baker and assimilating the melody of Kraftwerk's 'Trans-Europe Express,' the single hit number four on the R&B charts (but missed the pop Top 40) and joined the Sugarhill Gang's 'Rapper's Delight' as one of the early classics of hip-hop. (Grandmaster Flash's 'The Message' followed just three months later.) In the single's wake came dozens of electro groups and recordings, though none touched the quality of 'Planet Rock' -- except, perhaps, Bambaataa's own follow-up, 'Looking for the Perfect Beat.' Out of those electro groups came several predominant dance styles of the 1980s and '90s: Detroit techno, Miami bass, and, to a more limited extent, Chicago house.
Jun 01, 2016 The Universal Zulu Nation has issued a new statement apologizing to the alleged victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by their founder Afrika Bambaataa. Jemal Countess/WireImage/Getty. The Universal Zulu Nation has issued a new open letter apologizing to the alleged victims of sexual abuse perpetrated by their founder Afrika Bambaataa.
Freed somewhat by his newfound popularity, Afrika Bambaataa began branching out in 1984, recording 'Unity' with help from James Brown and 'World Destruction' with John Lydon (as Time Zone). That same year, Bambaataa delivered an album debut of sorts, Shango Funk Theology, recorded as Shango with Material personnel Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn. A virtually LP-length single titled 'Funk You!' appeared in 1985, after which Bambaataa recorded his proper album debut, Beware (The Funk Is Everywhere). He left Tommy Boy in 1986 after an album compilation of 'Planet Rock' mixes, and signed with Capitol. The first album release for the label was 1988's The Light, recorded as Afrika Bambaataa & the Family, which included contributions from George Clinton, UB40, Bootsy Collins, and Boy George. Three years later, Bambaataa's third album, 1990-2000: Decade of Darkness, was released on Capitol, coinciding with his career retrospective Time Zone, released on his own Planet Rock Records. Bambaataa recorded erratically during the '90s, but returned to the mainstream in 1997 with Zulu Groove. The new millennium brought the release of Hydraulic Funk on Strictly Hype, and Electro Funk Breakdown followed in early 2001. Starting in the early 2000s, Bambaataa also performed as a voice actor on the kung-fu-meets-hip-hop TV series Kung Faux, which also featured the voices of Biz Markie, Jean Grae, and Sadat X during its run. In 2004, he worked with artists including WestBam, Manu Dibango, and Gary Numan on Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light, which featured a cover of Numan's 'Metal' that spawned a 2005 remix EP. The following year, Bambaataa collaborated with Jamelia, Mekon, and the Bassheads, and he was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2012, he began a three-year term as a visiting scholar at Cornell University, with his archives arriving at the school in 2013 (a 2016 National Endowment for the Humanities grant helped the university maintain the collection of vinyl albums, books, papers, and video and audio recordings). In 2017, Bambaataa released 'Bring It Up,' an EDM-tinged single released by Dance Floor Corporation.
The Universal Zulu Nation is an international hip hop awareness group formed by and formerly led by hip hop artist Afrika Bambaataa.[1]:101
They strongly promote that Hip-Hop was created to provide 'peace, love, unity and having fun' for those in the ghetto, and eventually onward to all those supportive of the culture.
History[edit]
Originally known simply as the Organization, it arose in the 1970s as the reformed New York Citygang the Black Spades, a street gang from South Bronx. While the Black Spades were the base of the organization, other reformed gangs contributed additional members, notably the Savage Nomads, Seven Immortals, and Savage Skulls, among others.[2] Members began to organize cultural events for youths, combining local dance and music movements into what would become known as the various elements of hip hop culture. Elements of the culture include Emceeing (MCing), Deejaying (DJing), breaking, and writing.
In many interviews, Afrika Bambaataa has spoken of the name 'Zulu' as being inspired by the 1964 film of the same name.[citation needed]
The imagery of the Zulu Nation has varied at times as well. During the 1970s, and 1980s, Afrika Bambaataa and the Zulu Nation members would often clothe themselves in costumes representing different cultures of the world and different factions of the Nation throughout the world may utilize different cultural symbols and themes to express basic Zulu philosophy.[citation needed]
Since the early 1980s, the Zulu Nation has since established (autonomous) branches in Japan, France, the UK, Australia, Canada, South Korea and the Cape Flats in Cape Town South Africa.[citation needed]
From the late 1980s, at the height of the Afrocentric movement in hip-hop (when artists such as KRS-One, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Native Tongues, and Rakim hit success), the movement seemed to be incorporating many doctrines from the Nation of Islam, the Nation of Gods and Earths, and the Nuwaubians. In the mid 1990s some members began to break off starting their own projects or organizations such as Ill Crew Universal.[3]
Afrika Bambaataa stood down as head of the Zulu Nation in May 2016 after allegations of sexually abusing several young men and children in the organization. Ronald Savage was the first of several men to speak up about Bambaataa's alleged sexual abuse publicly.[4]
Zulu Nation in France[edit]
The Zulu movement was introduced to France in the early 1980s by Afrika Bambaataa. The Zulu Nation was centred in suburban Paris since most African immigrants lived beyond the city limits. Since 1987, the Zulu Nation's ties to the French hip hop community have waned. Since Afrika Bambaataa's tour of France in 2008 and a Zulu Nation reunion in Paris, new movements of the Universal Zulu Nation have emerged in different cities in France.[5] According to Veronique Henelon, 'French rap specifically has been a multi-dimensional expression of ties with Africa.'[6] The first hip-hop television show reportedly appeared in France. It was called 'H.I.P. H.O.P.' and was aired by the TF1 channel.
Notable members and affiliates[edit]
Popular culture[edit]
In 2004, the thirteenth episode of the second season of The Chappelle Show had the comedian Dave Chappelle do a sketch on an African-American George W. Bush, called Black Bush, where the character said that his coalition of the willing included Afrika Bambataa and the Zulu Nation.[7]
The Universal Zulu Nation is featured at length in the 2016 Netflix series The Get Down. In the series, Afrika Bambaataa is played by Nigerian-American actor Okieriete Onaodowan.
References[edit]
- ^Chang, Jeff (2005). Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN0-312-30143-X.
- ^About from ZuluNation.com, retrieved 28 September 2015
- ^lll Crew Universal
- ^http://atlantablackstar.com/2016/05/09/afrika-bambaataa-steps-down-as-zulu-nation-leader-amid-reports-of-child-sexual-assault/
- ^Prevos, A.J.M., 'Post-colonial Popular Music in France: Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture in the 1980s and 1990s.' In Global Noise: Rap and Hip-Hop Outside the USA. Tony Mitchell ed., pp. 29–56. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2001.
- ^Henelon, V. 'Africa on Their Mind: Rap, Blackness, and Citizenship in France.' In The Vinyl Ain't Final: Hip-Hop and the Globalisation of Black Popular Culture. Dipannita Basu and Sidney J. Lemelle, eds., pp. 151–66. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press, 2006
- ^Jonathan Gray et al, Satire TV: Politics and Comedy in the Post-network Era (New York: NYU Press, 2009), 243.
External links[edit]
Zulu Tribe
- 'Zulu Nation: From Gang To Glory', by Davey D