Afrika Bambaataa dead at 67: Pioneering rapper and DJ faced multiple sex abuse allegations; know all about him

Afrika Bambaataa Dies at 68: Afrika Bambaataa has died. The 68-year-old pioneering rapper and DJ, who was widely credited with helping shape early hip-hop, died at around 3 AM on Thursday (April 9, 2026) in Pennsylvania due to complications from cancer, according to reports.

His lawyer revealed that Bambaataa died of prostate cancer, as reported by news agency AP. Born in The Bronx, Bambaataa joined the local gang the Black Spades, rapidly rising up the ranks in the gang to the position of "warlord." Beginning in the 1970s, Bambaataa started hosting parties that became a vital space for hip hop to flourish, and they quickly expanded into massive block parties across the South Bronx.

Bambaataa: Career Highlights

In 1980, Bambaataa released his first single titled "Zulu Nation Throwdown," a reference to the Universal Zulu Nation, an art collective for socially conscious rappers, graffiti artists, B-boys, and more people involved in hip hop culture, and his 1982 track "Planet Rock" rose up the ranks to reach Number 4 on the U.S. R&B chart.

In 1985, Bambaataa contributed to the anti-apartheid cause through music by helping bring together the influential album “Sun City”, a collaborative project that united major artists such as Joey Ramone, Run-D.M.C., and U2, along with many others, to protest racial segregation in South Africa.

Afrika Bambaataa: Legal troubles and sexual abuse allegations

Afrika Bambaataa, in his later years, faced a series of legal troubles after multiple men accused him of sexually abusing them during the 1980s and 1990s. TMZ reported that he was forced to pay out a settlement in 2025 to a man accusing him of sex trafficking him in the 1990s after a judge issued a default judgement when he didn't show up to court.

In recent years, numerous people have accused Bambaataa of sexual abuse. In 2016, Bronx political activist and former music industry executive Ronald Savage accused Bambaataa of abusing him in 1980, when he was Savage was a young teen. “I was scared, but at the same time I was like, ’This is Afrika Bambaataa,’ ” Savage told the AP in 2016.

At the time he recalled, in detail, that encounter and four others that he said followed. Bambaataa has vehemently denied those allegations. After Savage went public with his claims, numerous other men came forward to share similar experiences about Bambaataa.

In June 2016, the Universal Zulu Nation released a public letter apologizing to “the survivors of apparent sexual molestation by Bambaataa” saying that some members of the group knew about the abuse but “chose not to disclose” it. “We extend our deepest and most sincere apologies to the many people who have been hurt,” organization wrote.