Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force

From the Bronx River Houses

The Soulsonic Force grew out of the Universal Zulu Nation, the collective Afrika Bambaataa (born Lance Taylor in 1957) formally founded in the Bronx in November 1977. A former Black Spades gang leader from the Bronx River Houses, Bambaataa steered his following toward DJing, MCing, breaking and graffiti, and his sets were famous for mixing funk and soul with rock, calypso and European electronic records. By around 1980 he had assembled a large MC ensemble, reportedly some 20 strong at first, which narrowed to the core trio of Mr. Biggs (Ellis Williams), Pow Wow (Robert Allen) and the lyricist G.L.O.B.E. (John Miller), with DJ Jazzy Jay among the crew's DJs.

"Planet Rock"

Signed to Tommy Boy, the group recorded "Planet Rock" in 1982 with producer Arthur Baker and keyboardist John Robie. Instead of a live band or a disco loop, the track ran on a Roland TR-808 drum machine and synthesizers, lifting the melody of Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" and rhythmic ideas from their "Numbers." The Kraftwerk material was used without clearance at first, and the dispute was reportedly settled with a per-copy payment. The single reached No. 4 on Billboard's soul chart and No. 48 on the Hot 100, and was certified gold later in 1982. More importantly, it gave birth to electro and fed directly into Miami bass, freestyle and Detroit techno; Rolling Stone later ranked it among the three greatest hip hop songs ever made.

Perfect Beats and Later Years

"Looking for the Perfect Beat" (1982) and "Renegades of Funk" (1983) extended the sci-fi funk sound, and the singles were gathered on Planet Rock: The Album in 1986. Bambaataa also cut "Unity" with James Brown and "World Destruction" with John Lydon in 1984 and appeared on the anti-apartheid Sun City project. The Soulsonic Force name surfaced on releases into the 2000s. In 2016 Bambaataa faced sexual abuse allegations, which he denied, and was removed from leadership of the Universal Zulu Nation. Pow Wow died in April 2025, and Bambaataa died in April 2026.

Legacy

Few records have traveled as far as "Planet Rock." Its fusion of German electronics, funk and Bronx rap turned the drum machine into a hip hop instrument and helped set off entire dance-music scenes on both sides of the Atlantic. Bambaataa was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007, and Cornell University took in his record collection and papers in 2013 as part of its hip hop archive.