Afrika Bambaataa has seen hip hop evolve from a trial-by-fire experiment in New York City to a billion-dollar industry supported by fans around the globe. This year marks the genre's 30th anniversary, and the DJ who helped start it all is as busy as ever. His new album, Dark Matter Moving at the Speed of Light, is being called the best of his career. His Zulu Nation education group recently held a three-day music summit at Unesco headquarters in Paris. Back home, state legislators are considering granting historical monument status to the Bronx River Houses where Bambaataa grew up and threw his first block parties. Wired caught up with the legend for a chat about hip hop's old and new schools.
WIRED: Take us back to hip hop's early days.
Bambaataa: It was founded in the Bronx by DJs - Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, and me. Up until 1974, you had MCs, DJs, graffiti artists, and dancers all doing their thing, but the various components hadn't been brought together under a single banner. Hip hop began when we combined those elements into one cultural expression and gave it a name.
You didn't have a lot of fancy gear back then. How did the low tech aesthetic shape the music?
It was about taking what we had and adding a twist. We may have had only two turntables and a mixer, but we used them to invent scratches and make crazy sounds. We had to be spontaneous.
Has the easy access to music-making software like ProTools killed hip hop's spontaneity?
No. Ultimately, hip hop's about expressing how you feel through music. It's not about what methods you use to make it. On my new album, I recorded some tracks in a studio with an engineer and all the standard equipment, while some other songs were done on a laptop.
On Dark Matter, you've got everything from drum-and-bass to a collaboration with new wave legend Gary Numan. Why so eclectic?
I'm trying to get people to understand that hip hop is much bigger than just rap music. It also includes Miami bass, turntablism, electronica, and lots more. Hip hop comes in many forms, but when you think of it, you probably just think of the rap stuff they play on the radio.
What music have you been listening to lately?
The best stuff I've heard recently has been from other countries. There's great hip hop coming out of Japan from artists like Mimi and DJ Yutaka.
I bet 30 years ago, you never imagined you'd be listening to Japanese people rap.
[Laughs.] It just goes to show you how great ideas can take hold on a global scale.
- Hua Hsu
Afrika Bambaataa
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