Jazzy sensation afrika bambaataa biography

Hip hop group

Jazzy Five was a hip hop group founded in the mid-1970s.

History

The group was initially formed in South Bronx as the Jazzy Four by Charlie Choo, Master Bee, Master Ice, and MC Sundance, with Jazzy Jay as the group's DJ. Prior to the group's formation, its members were associated with Afrika Bambaataa and the Universal Zulu Nation. After several line-up changes with the departure of MC Sundance and Charlie Choo, the recruitment of Mr. Freeze and Master Dee as their replacements, respectively, and the further addition of A.J. Les, the group became known as the Jazzy Five.

“Jazzy Sensation (Bronx Version)” was recorded by Afrika Bambaataa and the Jazzy Five in 1981 as the first hip hop single on Tommy Boy Records. The song was the only major hit for the Jazzy Five. The song was later remixed by Shep Pettibone.

After having performed regularly at parties in New York, the group disbanded in the mid-1980s.

References

American DJ, rapper, and producer

Musical artist

Lance Taylor (born on April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer from South Bronx, New York City. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip hop culture. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the originators of breakbeatDJing.

Through his co-opting of his street gang Black Spades into the music and culture-oriented organization Universal Zulu Nation, he has helped spread hip hop culture throughout the world. In May 2016, Bambaataa left his position as head of the "Universal Zulu Nation" due to multiple allegations of child sexual abuse dating as far back as the 1970s.

Early life

Born Lance Taylor to Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants, Bambaataa grew up in the Bronx River Projects, with an activist mother and uncle. As a child, he was exposed to the black liberation movement and witnessed debates between his mother and uncle regarding the conflicting ideologies in the movement. He was exposed to his mother's extensive and eclectic record collection.Gangs in the area became the law, clearing their turf of drug dealers, assisting with community health programs and both fighting and partying to keep members and turf.

Bambaataa was a member of the Black Spades. He quickly rose to the position of "warlord" in one of the divisions. As warlord, it was his job to build ranks and expand the turf of the young Spades. He was not afraid to cross turfs to forge relationships with other gangs, and their members. As a result, the Spades became the biggest gang in the city in terms of both membership and turf.

After Bambaataa won an essay contest that earned him a trip to Africa, his worldview shifted. H

Article/Interview, Pt 2 by Jason Gross

All the groups in Bam's circle were also taking on a more interplanetary (out)look. A connection between music that's literally far-out and the bands themselves being far-out (even more literally) isn't hard to imagine. To the Zulus, this isn't any kind of new age bullshit but a real part of their philosophy that continues today.

"My history is what I learned from Black History. I got into social studies and learned about Columbus and the Boston Tea Party and just started to deal with the truth. If you are Christian and read the Bible, you still need to read the Koran. The Muslims need to learn what Hindus and Buddhists are doing. And if you're black, white, yellow or red, you need to know what black, white, yellow and red (people) have given to better civilization on this planet. If there are extraterrestrials out there, on the planet or in the planet, then that needs to come out and speak the truth 'cause when you read your bible more clearly or the Koran, then you see where a lot of these cultures came into being."

Bam also sees today's music as a part of this cosmic tapestry.

"We're on alien technology, becoming galactic humans. Hopefully, I think the hip-hop and electronic music will start traveling to other planets. From watching the Learning Channel and hearing all the scientists, they ARE ready. The technology is there. They have some major stuff already and some of the technology had been seen since the '60's, with Star Trek and the Jetsons."

"We tell people in the Zulu Nation that what you thought was your fantasy will become your reality and what you thought was your reality will become your virtuality. I think the music is gonna be stretching into all types of things, using computers, other instruments. People are going to experimenting 'cause computers take you to a whole different world, a cyber-world along with the regular instrument

Afrika Bambaata Biography

Real name: Afrika Bambaataa Aasim / Born: October 4 1960, New York USA

Bronx DJ-turned-hip-hop-godfather Bambaataa not only created the record that thrust beatbox electro-funk into the '80s and brought Kraftwerk onto the dancefloor, he has made pioneering sides with numerous performers and established himself as a major figure in contemporary music. Working mainly in the 12-inch format, Bam's ascent began with a routine boast rap, "Jazzy Sensation," but got into gear with "Planet Rock," the Arthur Baker-produced (and co-written, with the band and John Robie) explosion of scratch cuts, electronic gimmickry, processed vocals and solid-state rhythms. (Both tracks were later compiled on the Tommy Boy label retrospective, Greatest Beats). "Looking for the Perfect Beat" is even better, with Baker mostly soft-pedaling the monolithic pounding in favor of a skittish electronic metronome and tacking on fancier effects, vocals and mix tricks to create an ultra-busy urban symphony. The mega-rhythmic "Renegades of Funk" adds social / historical / political lyrics to the dance-floor dynamism and delivers a really bizarre blend of rap, synthesizers and oppressive electronic percussion.

As a precursor to a long-promised album (which ultimately included it), Bambaataa released "Funk You!," a corny rap idea stretched out over a 12-inch in four very different mixes, with borrowings from James Brown and Queen. When it finally appeared, Beware proved that the LP format presents no obstacle to the imposing Overseer: variety and invention make it an exciting electro-beat vision of a freewheeling stylistic future. "Funk Jam Party" is exactly that; "Tension" sounds like Bowie comes to Harlem; "Rock America" incorporates howling electric guitars, a munchkin chorus and chintzy organ without ever losing the funk. Easily the highlight, and another amazing cross-cultural accomplishment by Bambaataa, is Bill Laswell's earthy, energized production of the MC5's "