Missing Assignments
No one did the Africa Bambaataa assignment. It is still due. It is a short, 3-4 paragraph essay response to the handout, the interview and Chang's chapter.
No one did the Africa Bambaataa assignment. It is still due. It is a short, 3-4 paragraph essay response to the handout, the interview and Chang's chapter.
posted by Professor Wanda's Posse at 7:54 PM
6 Comments:
Ammnah Babikir
Eng. 1A
Loop 2 # 5- Soul Salvation
This loop begins with Afrika Bambaataa's mysterious identity, the many different ways he was able to fuse people from different backgrounds, styles and elements of hip hop together while making history through his music. He called it the Organization and later named it the Zulu Nation. Everyone in Hip Hop owes great appreciation and respect to this Hip Hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa. Bambaataa was a man with a synchronized plan to creating a spark of consciousness in a future among his peers and ultimately nationwide. He came from the Bronx New York's hard core gang culture and succeeded in creating a sort of positive safe haven in a world of so much negativity. Both he and DJ Kool Herc were among the first to use Hip Hop as a way to provide a sense of positivity in a neighborhood of local street thugs. In order for Bambaataa to make revolutionary his mark on Hip HOP his identity would have to remain a mystery
Who was Africa Bambaataa? Jeff Chang stated that he was “The Original Gangster” of Hip Hop. Truth is that during the time he was brought up, there were a lot of media spreads and conspiracy theories about who this man appeared to be. How did he get here and how is it that he was so deeply rooted as well as well adapted into all of these many different communities etc.? He supposedly never told anyone about his age, because he didn't want to seem irrelevant/ fade out like (DJ Kool Herk appeared to be) the younger generations preceding him. However, through the words of Jeff Chang and how he personifies Bambaataa identity, it is as if he were “born out of space and time”. “When he walked through the projects,” Jazzy Jay says, “he was like The Godfather walking through Little Italy.” pg. 89 in the book can’t stop Won't Stop. Africa Bambaataa or Bambaataa Kahim Asim was born in Harlem New York. His mother's name was Miriam Makeba. All of his family were prominent nationalist; like his uncle, Bambaataa Bunchinji. Africa Bambaataa was a man with a synchronized plan to creating a spark of consciousness in a future among his peers and ultimately nationwide. He is the kind of person who stands out in a crowd and created his own imagery of how the world's system could be operated on a mass revolutionary scale.
What did he do that was so revolutionary? In the age of a time when the dress code reflected the way you understood Hip Hop, the style of dance you chose reflected the way you expressed yourself, and the way you spoke act/ spoke was a mirror image of the effect Hip Hop had on you, determined your status in the movement that is a forum for expressing your role in the Hip Hop culture. Bambaataa used a political approach and incorporated it into the culture. One way to do this was he would play a normal jazz or rap record and mix it up with a Martin Luther King or Malcolm X speech. I guess he figured that if no one wanted to talk about the issues, they could dance to them and subconsciously everyone will listen. It must have caught on eventually because that is why he is being recognized for raising awareness among young and old about all of the issues concerning everything from politics to day to day living.
Elesha Martin
English 1A
Afrika Baambata is a legend; undeniably, a revolutionary hip-hop pioneer. Although the ignorant disregard of his acclaim is baffling, it is indicative of how sheer oblivion plays key factor in the lack of knowledge that is lucid within the Hip-Hop community. Upon hearing of the callous response and utter lack of respect shown by the community during a visit by Bam to the Bay Area, I was deeply saddened. The radio stations, the community, and even the media ostracised him. They watered down his importance and implied that he was redundantly ole school, therefore he was of unimportance. Here is the man that paved the way for hip-hip to rise to unforeseen plateaus, the man behind the now multi billion dollar industry, the man that combated the pre-existing ideology of complacence, and transformed the once constricted music genre into an undefined element of style. No one even bothered to muster up an inkling of dignity to give rightful recognition to the “Godfather of Hip-Hop” himself. In a 1996 interview between Bam and KMEL’s former Deejay Davey D, Baambata’s rhetoric on the past, present, and future discrepancies in hip-hop was startling. Having little insight on the culture myself, I was able to fully gauge his argument on the lack of consciousness that is brazen within the hip-hop community. It was then that I abolished my previous notions, and was able to have a grander appreciation for the man who essentially gave name to our enigmatic culture.
Baambata affirms that although a deceptive fallacy is that hip-hop is constricted to its reggae roots, in fact, hip-hop was inspired by an array of musical genres which transformed the culture. From funk and rock, to disco and house, the evolution of hip-hip encompasses a multitude of styles, genres, and cultures that the African-American community effortlessly refutes. The shallowness present within the hip-hop community is also shown by the misconception that hip-hop is bound to rap, deejaying, b-boying, emceeing, the style of clothing, undecipherable slang, and roots infused from the Reggae
and African culture into the Hip-Hop culture. Bambaata’s account for hip-hip is that although African-American’s and Latin's are undeniably the forefathers, hip-hop blatantly reigns throughout many nations. “The music is colorless” he contends. What enforces to the color barrier, is the lyrical content presented in the music, “It’s what you
put in your lyrics that makes it a Black or White thing”.
Mr. Afrika Baambata’s sole purpose was to provide a universal music platform which would ultimately bring unity amongst all communities. Not reclusive to Black or White, his devotion was for the music to speak to everyone. For Bam, music was innate. Early on, he displayed a keen interest in playing musical instruments, and over the course of time, sampled and mixed sounds mocked from his extensive music collection using a computer and drum set as his mediums. The end result was the birth of the Electro Funk sound to his credit, and from that “freestyle or latin freestyle, Miami bass, electronic,
house, hip house, and early techno” was spun. Not confined to the sole production of music itself, Bam has given name to a number of music acts ranging from Maurice Starr to New Edition. Although his dim start landed him a member of a small street gang in his neighborhood projects, after its dissolution, he went on to contrive a performing group at his high school which not so surprisingly consisted of other former gang members. As Bam continually created records, over the course of time, “The Zulu Nation” which was made up of former gang members and the artistically inclined, was conceived. The inspiration for the Nation stemmed from Bam's academic studies of African history. In 1982, a hip-hop artist by the name of Fab 5 Freddie, was working on creating music samples for the Caucasian dominated Manhattan nightclub scene. Bam received an invite, and having never performed before a predominantly white crowd, this would mark the first time since its inception that Hip-Hop Music would fuse
with the Popular Culture.
While he continuously made music, Afrika Baambatta incorporated deejaying into his tenure and began working for a local radio station . Soon after, he conceived the famed album “Planet Rock” which was deemed “one of the most influential records in music”. To date, Planet Rock is said to be the most sampled record in the existence of
Hip Hop music. Bam refers to the sound of the record as "Electro Funk or the "Electro-Sound". In the early 80’s Bam and the Zulu Nation traveled to Europe, and through their music, single handedly captivated an interest in Hip-Hop amongst the country’s youth. The more his records were released, the more he continued his travels. In time, the
submersion of the hip-hop culture spilled over into varying parts of the world.
Afrika Baambada proved by his actions the unequivocal impact that he has stapled into the hip-Hop archives. How can we conform to the beliefs of a nation that conspicuously enslaves our community? Why is it that conscious rap which imparts the knowledge of corruption within society doesn’t sell, but the redundancy displayed of the degradation in hip-hop music sells billions? Our youth and our community sadly bobs their head to lyrics of music incapable of being deciphered by most, but cringe at the sight of a text book which holds the key to knowledge. The discord is seemingly in the refusal of the Hip-Hop community to become aware. When will the community finally demolish the ideology that blacks are subservient, and digress into a similar mind-set of Afrika Baambata who although his name won’t be found in many history books, and the present generation is unfamiliar with the name, the fact still remains that conspicuous or not, Afrika Bambatta has bridged the cultural gap, and that is something that not even our
destitute society can ever rob from him.
Ashley Dorsett
10/27/2008
Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three main originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and "Godfather" of Hip Hop Culture as well as The Father of the Electro Funk Sound.
Bam took gang member off the street and created the culture-oriented Zulu Nation, he is responsible for spreading rap and hip-hop culture throughout the world. Bambaataa and Dj Herc were the first to use Hip Hop as a way to spread a positive message. Due to his early use of drum machines and computer sounds, Bam was instrumental in changing the way R&B and other forms of Black music were recorded. His creation of Electro Funk, beginning with his piece "Planet Rock,” in 1982, helped fuel the development of other musical genres such as Freestyle or Latin Freestyle, Miami Bass, Electronica, House, Hip House, and early Techno.
Bam is responsible for initiating many careers in the music industry, and his early association with Tom Silverman of Tommy Boy Records helped the label to its success. Bam was instrumental in launching the R&B group New Edition, Maurice Starr and the Jonzun Crew, Tashan, and Bernard Fowler of the Peech Boys, to name a few. Bam is also recognized as a man of peace, who has applied elements of Afro centric and health-conscious teachings. He is also a historian on Hip-Hop roots, who traces the culture back to the times of the African Griots. Bam joined the Bronx River Projects division of the Black Spades street gang in the southeast Bronx. Bam was taking up trumpet and piano for a short time at Adlai E. Stevenson High School, he was also a serious record collector, who collected everything from R&B to Rock. By 1970 he was already deejaying at house parties. Bam became even more interested in deejaying around 1973, when he heard Bronx DJs Kool DJ Dee and Kool DJ Herc. Kool DJ Dee had one of the first coffins (a rectangular case that contains two turntables and a mixer) in the Bronx. West Bronx DJ Kool DJ Herc was playing funk records by James Brown and later just playing the instrumental breaks of those records. Noticing that he had many of the same records Herc was playing, Bam began to play them, but expanded to include other types of music as well.
As the Black Spades gang began to die out toward 1973, Bam began forming a Performing group at Stevenson High School, first calling it the Bronx River organization, then Later the Organization. Bam had deejayed with his own sound system at the Bronx River Community Center. With Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, and Cowboy, who performed with him in the community. Because of his prior status in the Black Spades, Bam already had an established party crowd drawn from former members of the gang.
About a year later he reformed a group, calling it the Zulu Nation (inspired by his wide studies on African history at the time). Five b-boys (break dancers) joined him who he called the Shaka ZULU Kings there were also the Shaka Zulu Queens. As Bam continued deejaying, more DJs, rappers, break dancers, graffiti writers, and artists followed his parties, and he took them under his wing and made them members of his Zulu Nation. Bam's first official battle was against Disco King Mario at Junior High School 123 (a.k.a. the Funky 3). A few other important battles Bam had later on were against Grandmaster Caz (known as Casanova Fly at that time and who later was one of the Cold Crush Brothers) at the P.A.L. (Police Athletic League) circa 1978, and a team battle against Grandmaster Flash and an army of sound systems, with Bam teaming systems with Disco King Mario and Tex DJ Hollywood. Bam formed additional systems for battling as well, like the Earthquake Systems with DJ Superman and DJ Jazzy Jay. There were also many MC battles, where rappers from Bam's Zulu Nation would go against other outside rappers. Later, Bam also jointly promoted Shows with Kool Herc under the name Nubian Productions.
Bam's second release around 1983 was "Looking for the Perfect Beat," then later, "Renegades of Funk," both with the same Soul Force. Bam began working with producer Bill Laswell at Jean Karakos's Celluloid Records, where he developed and placed two groups on the label Time Zone and Shango. He did "Wildstyle" with Time Zone, and in 1984 he teamed up with punk-rocker John Lydon and Time Zone, titled "World Destruction" which was the first time ever that Hip Hop was mix with Rock predating RunDmc's duet with Areosmith "Walk This Way". Shango's album Shango Funk Theology was also released by the label in 1984. That same year Bam and other Hip Hop celebrities appeared in the movie Beat Street. Bam also made a landmark recording with James Brown, titled "Unity." It was most talked about in the music industry saying "the Godfather of Soul meets the Godfather of Hip Hop."
Bam says in the interview that Hip Hop artist speak their mind with whatever is bothering them, such as politics, and the world today. He says most big businesses are afraid of that. This brings me to the point that I agree with him because there is a song out by Big Boi and Mary J. Blige called Something’s Gotta Give. They touch all bases of what’s wrong with the government. I can see how some songs can be a threat it’s because they don’t want anybody to call out what’s going on and the moment they do. The government tries to cover up and say that the Artist is wrong for bringing it to light.
Afrika Bammbaataa has done much for the Hip Hop Generation but the new generation knows very little about him this does not dis-miss the fact that he is a Hip Hop Pioneer and has overcome a great deal of things. “You better know what’s going on with this New World Order casue there’s something serious going down.” Afrika Bambaataa
derek
Affectionate Leader
He is the shaman of the Zulu Nation, the ambassador to Planet Rock, but better known as Afrika Bambaataa. Bam has made so many significant contributions to hip-hop and the culture which it has inspired that he can incontrovertibly be called one of the most prominent patriarchs of the original hip-hop movement (Mid 70’s to early 80’s). Although the magnitude of his impact on hip-hop is nearly immeasurable there are three distinguishable contributions which, for all intensive purposes, have shaped the movement. Bambaataa promulgated the doctrine of the “4 Elements”, he spread concepts of social empathy/equality, peace and unity through the violence-ridden inner-city and he expanded on the ideology of the architect, Kool Herc.
He theorized over the four elements of hip-hop and categorized/identified them as part of the movement so his followers would be able to distinguish what symbolized their culture. As Chang clearly illustrates, he was; “The preacher of the gospel of the “four elements”-DJing, MCing, b-boying and Graffiti writing.” (Chang 90)
Following this introspective insight into the key elements of hip-hop, he gave the gangs of the Bronx (specifically the Black Spades) a more socially conscious perspective on their lives and the community which they lived in. In reference to the doctrine of a Zulu, Bambaataa states;
“The job of a Zulu is to survive in life. To be open-minded dealing with all walks of life upon this planet Earth and to teach [each] other truth (Knowledge, Wisdom and Understanding). To respect those who respect them, to never be the aggressor or oppressor. To be at peace with self and others, but if or when attacked by others who don’t wish peace with the Zulus, then the Zulus are ordered in the name of ALLAH, Jehovah to fight those that fight against you.” (Chang 101)
By bestowing upon them knowledge concerning afro-centrism, sociology, anthropology, and concepts of philanthropy he motivated these gang members to stop violence against one another because they are all fighting the same struggle against the power-elite (corporations/politicians) of this country which employs unscrupulous practices in order to profit from the demise of the urban community. He explained to his followers that urban youth violence and rivalry/animosity amongst minorities was being reinforced by the white-elites in order to better control them through the prison industrial complex and justified racism because they were affiliated with a violent, unruly syndicate;
"Bambaataa talked. He was saying how happy he was that people came out. That this gang thing, the cops put us up to this stuff. Society put us all in here to fight against each other and kill us off, and we’re not getting nowhere.” (Chang 105)
By better equipping his followers intellectually speaking, it allowed them to gain a certain amount of social empathy for others in their community and around the world suffering at the hands of white patriarchy. This led to the formation of the Zulu nation, a legitimate organization still in existence, which emphasizes community, socio-economic as well as racial equality and enlightenment through music. The faith of the organization dictated; “Peace, love, unity and having fun” (Chang 105).
Lastly, Bambaataa expanded upon the groundwork of his predecessor, DJ Kool Herc. He attracted more people to the culture than had ever been seen prior to his emergence through his status as a respected innovator and prophet of the message. If Herc was Abraham in the canon/origin of the hip-hop community, Bambaataa was Moses; “Bambaataa took Herc’s party and turned it into the ceremony of a new faith, like he knew that this was exactly how their world was supposed to look, sound and flow.” (Chang 107) Herc established the culture, but Bambaataa organized that culture into a tangible society and movement. By keeping himself educated and expanding upon the potential of hip-hop, which was still in its infancy, he inspired the urban youth to keep themselves informed and occupied with more productive activities rather than focusing on turf and gang violence. Bam emphasized universal consciousness to spread his message by staying informed, aware and having compassion for your fellow man for they are fighting the same social inequalities and hardships as yourself.
Works Cited
Afrika Bambaataa. Planet Rock Kraftwerk Original Video. YouTube.com. 8 Oct. 2008.
Chang, Jeff. Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. New York: Picador, 2005.
"On The Line With...Afrika Bambaataa." Interview with Davey D. Interview With Afrika Bambaataa. Dec. 1991. 8 Oct. 2008 daveyd.com/baminterview.html>
Afrika Bambaataa born Kevin Donovan on 4/17/1957 in the South Bronx has made a legendary name for hisself through various movements throughout the nation as well as his community. Afrika Bambaataa was a former gang leader of the notorious gang known as the Black Spades, but had a different outlook than just causing trouble. Afrika Bambaataa got the name "Grandfather and Godfather of Hip-Hop" due to his tastes in music. He had many different genres of music that he preferred to use when he was performing. He also had a passion for buying music that is how he received his name "Master of Records" and his tastes were very diversified from rock to R & B to African sounds to Latin, Calypso and classical. Although DJ Kool Herc was the top dj at the time Bam knew that he owned the same records so he started deejaying on his own.
Throughout the stife and struggles of the ghetto and its notorious gangs member Bambaataa found a way for the citizens within and outside the community to provide a safe haven so they can come and see what Hip-Hop was all about. Inspired by DJ Kool Herc and Kool DJ Dee Bambaataa too started hosting Hip-Hop parties. After his life changing visit to Africa, he vowed to use what he learned to save other gang members. He brought peace to the gangs as many gang members and artists say "Hip-Hop saved alot of lives." Bambaataa took his vision outside the boundaries and created his own cultural movement known as "The Zulu Nation."This was a wayout for the angry youth of the streets. The main criteria of the Zulu Nation was Peace,Unity,Love and Fun. They also believed in one supreme being. They tried to teach honor among men. Build each other up and not tear each other down. Bambaataa decided to use his leadership to turn those involved in the gang life into something more positive to the community. This began the development of what later became known as the Universal Zulu Nation, a group of socially & politically aware rappers, B-boys, graffiti artists and other people involved in Hip Hop culture. By 1977, inspired by DJ Kool Herc and Kool DJ Dee and after Disco King Mario loaned him his first equipment, Bambaataa began organizing block parties all around the South Bronx. He even faced his long time friend, Disco King Mario in a DJ battle. He then began performing at Stevenson High School and formed the Bronx River Organization, then later simply "The Organization". Bambaataa had deejayed with his own sound system at the Bronx River Community Center, with Mr. Biggs, Queen Kenya, and Cowboy, who accompanied him in performances in the community. Because of his prior status in the Black Spades, he already had an established Army party crowd drawn from former members of the gang. He became known as one of the best DJs in the Bronx.
In the interview with Davey D, Bam was not given the recognition that he deserved as one of the true pioneers that laid down the blue print for Hip-Hop as well as DJ Kool Herc. Many want to refer to Bambaataa as "Ole School" but is ignorant and blind to the steps he had to take to get Hip-Hop where it is today as far as a global movement. People need to realize that without "Ole School" there would not be any "New School." There always has to be a past in order for there to be a present. Many of these youngstas today want to rap but are ignorant of the history of rap. They can't even begin to recognize, rationalize the struggle and where it all began. They (todays rappers) have taken hip-hop to another plateu that no one but themselves can relate to. Hip-Hop was supposed to be fun and a way to express yourself about the political and social issues of that era but it has been so diluted and degraded that it should be abolished all together.In 1982, Hip-Hop artist Fab Five Freddy was putting together music packages in the largely white downtown Manhattan New Wave clubs, and invited Bam to perform at one of them, the Mudd Club. It was the first time Bam had performed before a predominantly white crowd, making it one of the first times that Hip-Hop had fused with white culture. Attendance for Bam's parties downtown became so large that he had to move to larger venues.
"Planet Rock", a popular single, came out that June under the name Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force. All the different elements and musical styles were blended together; and in doing so, they offered Hip-Hop as a new vision for global harmony. The song became an immediate hit and stormed the music charts worldwide,thus creating a new style of music altogether. It influenced many styles of electronic and dance music, e.g. freestyle music, house music and techno music.
Bambaataa organized the very first European hip-hop tour.
Afrika Bambaataa making of the 1980's hit "Planet Rock" was what put him on the map for being the Godfather and The Amen Ra of The Hip-Hop culture. Planet Rock was deemed as one of the most influential songs ever made. To this day Planet Rock is still being played to get the party started. On September 27, 2007, it was announced that Afrika Bambaataa was one of the nine nominees for the 2008 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions.
On December 22, 2007, he made a surprise appearance performing at the First Annual Tribute Fit For the King of King Records, Mr. Dynamite James Brown in Covington, KY. As of Summer 2008, he was featured as part of the Rock the Bells 2008 tour, dj-ing on the second stage on select dates.
Caprice Eddington
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