Afrika Bambaataa Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images Afrika Bambaataa, an influential DJ, rapper and producer whose music helped revolutionize hip-hop, but later had his legacy tarnished when he was accused of sexual abuse by multiple men, has died. He was 67.
TMZ reported that Bambaataa died from complications of cancer. Mick Benzo, his friend and fellow member of the Zulu Nation, also confirmed his death on social media Thursday.
“Two days ago, I spoke with Afrika Bambaataa and found him in high spirits,” Benzo wrote in a lengthy tribute. “Today, however, I began receiving calls about his passing. Concerned, I reached out to him but received no response. My worries deepened, and I was heartbroken to learn it was true—he had peacefully fallen asleep and did not wake up. It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Afrika Bambaataa, a pioneering architect and global ambassador of Hip Hop culture.”
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Born on April 17, 1957, in the Bronx, New York, Bambaataa became one of the leading artists to blend electronic sounds inspired by Kraftwerk within the hip-hop genre. His breakthrough song “Planet Rock,” released in 1982 with Soulsonic Force, helped put him on the map and was a seminal record in defining electro-funk. Some of his other groundbreaking tracks included “Looking for the Perfect Beat,” “Renegades of Funk” and “Unity.”
Bambaataa also formed the hip-hop collective called the Universal Zulu Nation in the late 1970s to transform gang culture and promote peace through dance and music movements.
In 2016, Bambaataa was faced with multiple allegations of child sexual abuse and trafficking from young men in the Bronx. At the time, he reportedly denied the accusations, saying they “are baseless and are a cowardly attempt to tarnish my reputation and legacy in hip-hop at this time.”
He was not criminally charged, but lost a civil case by default in 2025 that was brought by an accuser after he failed to appear in court.
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