Rap legend Afrika Bambaataa can now add the title "visiting scholoar"
to his resume with reports claiming he has received the honor courtesy of Cornell
University.
According to the university "s website, Bambaataa can hold the position up to
three years.
Cornell University Library "s Hip Hop Collection is honored to announce
the appointment of DJ Afrika Bambaataa as a visiting scholar for a three-year
term. Bambaataa will visit Cornell "s campus in Ithaca, NY for several days
each year to meet with classes, talk to student and community groups, and
perform. This is the first faculty appointment for a hip hop pioneer and legend
at a major university. (Cornell News & Events)
The popular school also prides itself in containing archived information on
hip-hop society.
Cornell University Library is the home of the largest national archive
on hip hop culture, documenting its birth and growth by preserving thousands
of recordings, flyers, photographs, and other artifacts. (Cornell News &
Events)
Back in 2008, Bambaataa took part in a Cornell University hip-hop celebration
event.
The free two-day conference will showcase documents from the early days
of hip-hop including recordings, photographs, posters and more. Famous for being
one of the first hip-hop deejays to help mold the art form in the South Bronx
during the 70 "s, Bambaataa will also be speaking on the culture "s importance.
"By paying tribute to those who laid the foundation, we tell our own history,"
he said in a statement. "Preserving hip-hop "s early years will help future
generations understand the places they come from." (SOHH)
The rap pioneer is most known for his contributions to the culture over four
decades ago.
A seminal Bronx DJ during the 1970s, Afrika Bambaataa ascended to godfather
status with Planet Rock, the 1982 hip-hop classic which blended the beats of
hip-hop with techno-pop futurism inspired by German pioneers Kraftwerk. Even
before he began recording in 1980, Bambaataa was hip-hop "s foremost DJ, an organizer
and promoter of the large block parties during the mid- to late "70s which presaged
the rise of rap. After the success of Planet Rock, he recorded electro-oriented
rap only sparingly, concentrating instead on fusion -- exemplified by his singles
with ex-Sex Pistol John Lydon and fellow godfather James Brown. Bambaataa had
moved to the background by the late "80s (as far as hip-hop was concerned),
but the rise of his Zulu Nation collective -- including De La Soul, Queen Latifah,
A Tribe Called Quest, and the Jungle
Brothers -- found him once more being tipped as one of rap "s founding fathers.
(All Music)
sohh.com
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