Afrika Bambaataa, who has died of prostate cancer aged 68, was an influential figure in the development and rise of early hip-hop. Often bracketed with Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash as one of the art form’s initial innovators, he became especially associated with the use of electronic music, which he used as the backdrop to much of his output as a DJ, rapper and producer.
Bambaataa’s pioneering outlook helped to move the first phase of hip-hop away from a reliance on soul and funk beats towards a more futuristic techno-pop feel, based around the synthesiser and the drum machine.
