Afrika Bambaataa
Sign in to saveLance Taylor, known professionally as Afrika Bambaataa, was an American disc jockey, rapper and record producer. He was notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip-hop culture. Bambaataa was one of the originators of breakbeat DJing.
Person
- Born
- 1957-04-17
- Died
- 2026-04-09
via Open Library + Wikidata
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Key facts
- Born
- Lance Taylor , ( 1957-04-17 ) April 17, 1957, New York City, U.S.
- Died
- April 9, 2026 (2026-04-09) (aged 68), Pennsylvania , U.S.
- Genres
- Hip-hop electro house electronic breakbeat electro-funk
- Occupations
- Disc jockey rapper record producer
- Instruments
- Vocals turntables drum machine
- Years active
- 1977–2013
- Labels
- Tommy Boy EMI Winley Capitol DMC Planet Rock
via Wikipedia infobox
Key dates
- Born
- 17 April 1957
- Died
- 9 April 2026
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Lance
- Family name
- Taylor
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- New York City
- Place of death
- Pennsylvania
- Occupation
- musician
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Field of work
- hip-hop
Article
Lance Taylor (April 17, 1957 – April 9, 2026), known professionally as Afrika Bambaataa (/ˌæfrɪkə bæmˈbɑːtə/), was an American disc jockey, rapper and record producer. He was notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip-hop culture. Bambaataa was one of the originators of breakbeat DJing.
Through his co-opting of his street gang Black Spades into the music and culture-oriented organization Universal Zulu Nation, he helped spread hip-hop culture throughout the world. In May 2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of the Universal Zulu Nation due to multiple allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as the 1970s. In May 2025, he also lost a sex abuse civil case after failing to issue legal responses. While some have praised his significant impact on the hip-hop industry, others have argued that it will eventually be overshadowed by the sex abuse allegations.
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Categories
1957 births2026 deaths20th-century American male rappers20th-century American rappers21st-century American male rappers21st-century American rappersAfrican-American DJsAfrican-American foundersAfrican-American male rappersAmerican electro musiciansAmerican electronic dance music DJsAmerican founders