Hip-hop pioneer, Afrika Bambaataa, dies at 67: Reports
Hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa speaks during a press conference to announce the launch of The Smithsonian's "Hip-Hop Won't Stop: The Beat, The Rhymes, The Life" at the Hilton Hotel February 28, 2006 in New York City. (Photo by Scott Gries/Getty Ima
Rapper and DJ, Afrika Bambaataa, has died, according to multiple reports. He was 67 years old.
Bambaataa, whose real name is Lance Taylor, died on Thursday due to complications from cancer, according to TMZ.
Dig deeper:
Bambaataa’s notable contributions included a series of electro tracks he released in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip hop culture.
He was also one of the founders of the hip-hop awareness group, Universal Zulu Nation, according to Complex.
Early coverage of rap & hip-hop
As we celebrate 50 years of hip-hop culture, here's a look back from the FOX archives at some of the early media coverage of rap and hip-hop -- from the serious to the silly.
Bambaataa controversy
The backstory:
In 2021, Bambaataa was sued over allegations of child sexual abuse, according to The Guardian.
An anonymous man alleged in a lawsuit filed in New York, that Bambaataa abused him for four years starting at the age of 12. The abuse began in the early 1990s.
Bambaataa ended up losing the civil case because he failed to enter a legal response to the lawsuit, Complex reported.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from reporting by TMZ, Newsweek, and Complex, and previous reporting by The Guardian. This story was reported from San Jose.