Afrika Bambaataa, a pioneering DJ and producer widely regarded as one of the founders of hip-hop, has died at 68, his longtime label Tommy Boy Records announced Thursday.
In a statement posted on Instagram, the label said Bambaataa “is widely considered a pioneer of hip-hop and electro music” and noted that his influence on the genre and broader culture endures.
The celebrity news site TMZ, citing unnamed sources, reported that Bambaataa, born Lance Taylor, died of cancer overnight Wednesday in Pennsylvania.
Bambaataa was behind the influential 1982 track “Planet Rock” and is often cited alongside DJ Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash as a founding figure of hip-hop, a cultural movement built on DJing, rapping, graffiti and breakdancing.
Born April 17, 1957, in the Bronx, he co-founded the Universal Zulu Nation in 1973, an organization that sought to steer young people away from gang violence by promoting hip-hop culture and organizing neighborhood block parties.
Tributes from groups including the Hip Hop Alliance credited him with helping shape hip-hop into a global movement rooted in “peace, unity, love and having fun,” and with establishing the Bronx as the birthplace of a culture that spread worldwide.
His legacy, however, was complicated by multiple allegations of sexual abuse involving minors dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. Bambaataa denied the accusations and was not criminally convicted.
In 2025, a civil lawsuit filed against him was decided in favor of the plaintiff after he failed to appear in court.