Summary
In 1982, Afrika Bambaataa and his crew, Soul Sonic Force, put out Planet Rock, which, on vinyl, captured the blend of genres Bambaataa was creating in New York. He called it Electro-Funk-a mixture of funk and rock breaks, synthesized melodies, video game explosions, and samples from unconventional sources, such as "50s commercial jingles and the German electro group, Kraftwerk. The success of Planet Rock sent Bambaataa and his crew around the world, thrust into the role of hip-hop missionaries.
The record started taking me around the world and breaking down barriers in places that didn't know nothing about hip-hop. And that was a struggle in itself. In different parts of Europe and Asia, you perform and people would just sit there. So we had to break it down. Go to Italy and grab people. "Get your butt up. Get up on stage, get down, shake it." Grab the kids, and make it seem fun.As my audience became more international, I'd keep playing things and people would say, " ell, I don't like no metal. I don't like that funk." And I'd take them on a musical journey and say, "Well, you just danced to some house music, you just danced to some salsa."See the full content of this document
Extract
Hip-Hop's Planet Rocker
Afrika Bambaataa is legend in the world of hip-hop: an Afro-Futurist in the tradition of musician Sun Ra; a radical democrat and organizer; a sound-system blaster; a South Bronx DJ; a former leader of the street organization The Black Spades; and
father of the gang-structured, non-violent, community-minded Universal Zulu Nation.Known as the Master of Records-for his broad musical tastes and rare, hard-tofind breaks-Bambaataa challenged and ...See the full content of this document
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