LAST DANCE

Hip-Hop Pioneer Dead at 68

He helped shape rap music in the ‘70s and ‘80s before accusations of sexual abuse were leveled at him later in his career.

Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa has died at 68. His longtime associate Mickey Bentson shared the announcement on Facebook, saying that the artist, real name Lance Taylor, died peacefully in his sleep. Raised in the Bronx, Taylor helped birth hip-hop through massive block parties in the 1970s and is recognized alongside Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash as one of the genre’s three originators. His prolific discography earned him the nickname the “Godfather of Hip Hop.” His celebrated status was abruptly undercut in 2016, when political activist and former music industry executive Ronald Savage accused Bambaataa of repeated sexual abuse. While Savage later withdrew his claims, numerous other men came forward, with Rolling Stone documenting at least 13 accusers in total. A 2021 lawsuit alleged Taylor exploited his leadership of the Zulu Nation, an international hip-hop awareness group he founded, to groom and assault minors, and that the organization knowingly facilitated his access to young people. The Zulu Nation had already cut ties with its founder in 2016, issuing an apology to his alleged victims, and Taylor lost the civil case last year. He had denied the allegations.