re: Afrika Bambaataa, Godfather of Hip-Hop and accused child rapist, dead at 68

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I don't consider myself a Beatles fan either. But I can recognize the fact they were at least musicians. They actually played musical instruments and made actual music with those instruments. They went on stage with drums and guitars, not turntables. Again, a record player isn’t a musical instrument. I’m sorry that bothers you. But saying it doesn’t make me ignorant. It makes me honest.

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A DJ spinning records hasn’t been how most hip hop is actually made for about 40 years, outside of legacy acts and the occasional throwback track. It moved way past that a long time ago.

And if you zoom out for a second, there have been plenty of major, widely respected acts building original tracks with real instrumentation the whole time, not just samples flipped on turntables. It’s not some niche exception, it’s been part of the mainstream evolution of the genre.

With that being the factual case will you amend your opinion or discount for another reason?

BTW, it's ok to just not like it, but your justification died with Run DMC's career.

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Again, a record player isn’t a musical instrument.

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I'd also push back on this. What specific qualifiers would exclude a turntable setup in the hands of a skilled DJ without also excluding something like a piano? Define them clearly and apply them consistently.

eta- this is just for the fun of the debate. Nothing to get heated over.

I am a fan of hip hop and the history of it and have one or two of his songs in my playlist. I will say I wasn't aware he was a kiddie toucher.

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Bambaataa continued releasing music for decades to come and was appointed a visiting scholar at Cornell University in 2012. In 2016, several men accused Bambaataa of sexually abusing them when they were minors, dating back to the 1980s.The allegations harmed Bambaataa's legacy and reputation. He repeatedly denied the accusations. In 2025, he lost a civil suit alleging that he abused a 12-year-old boy in 1991 when he did not address the lawsuit or show up to court.

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So the only thing I can say is... Rot in hell.

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It was a comment about photography, but I think it applies here. One of my mentors once told me, "All artwork is derivative." I think that's totally the case with regards to hip hop music and it's origins.

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Your mentor was correct. What music genre isn't derivative?

My wife and I saw Kraftwerk in Dec. and they were fantastic. Can't stand what rap has become.