Afrika Bambaataa, Hip-Hop Godfather, Dies at 68 Amid Abuse Allegations

Afrika Bambaataa, the pioneering DJ and rapper widely regarded as a godfather of hip-hop, died in early April 2026 at age 68 from prostate cancer. Born Lance Taylor in 1957 in the Bronx, he rose from leading the Black Spades gang to founding the Universal Zulu Nation, promoting peace and the five elements of hip-hop: graffiti, MCing, DJing, b-boying, and knowledge. His 1982 single "Planet Rock" fused funk with Kraftwerk, globalizing the genre. However, his legacy is shadowed by multiple allegations of child sexual abuse. In 2016, Ronald Savage accused Bambaataa of molesting him as a teenager; others, including Hassan Campbell, followed. Bambaataa denied the claims, but in 2025 he lost a civil suit by default for failing to appear in court. He was removed from the Hip Hop Museum board in 2016 and stepped down from Zulu Nation. The New Yorker's obituary examines the split legacy of an originator whose art and alleged crimes remain intertwined.