from the 12” single, Tommy Boy Music, 1986
A man grows up in the ghetto (re: Bronx River Pjs, pre Giuliani’s fascist regime), goes on to head that area’s biggest gang, but then a funny thing happens--- that man takes a trip to Africa. A vision was born there, forged by the gritty reality of Apartheid’s ugly scars and its parallels to the violence he saw, and had himself incited, in neighborhoods back home. Upon returning to NYC, the man formerly known as Kevin Donaldson had ceased to exist; in his place: Afrika Bambaataa, enlightened Zulu warrior & electro prophet. Previous to his smash “Planet Rock”, rap music had mainly kept to disco and funk albums for their loops, but Bambaataa changed all that with one inspired Kraftwerk sample and some sick electric breaks. It’s almost unfathomable to imagine what rap music, and electronic music in general, would have looked like had Bambaataa never gone to Africa & decided to change his path.
from the 12” single, Tommy Boy Music, 1986
