One of the greatest electro heros is gone 
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very important to the history, influential, responsible for some all-timer tunes, but “greatest”? that glosses over some pretty messed up stuff…
considering the whole context of who he was and what he did, it’s sad that people who do so much to push art and culture forward also do some terrible, unjustifiable things to other people. nothing is more important than being good to each other-- or at least not crossing the line of abusing people.
The official statement from the Hip Hop Alliance:
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Oh man RIP. Planet Rock changed my life.
Edit: didn’t know about the abuse stuff.
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Especially minors. Very sad to learn this.
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Ouch, that one hurts 
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Yikes, that sucks. That beat is iconic to be sure, but it sure sucks he was a creepo.
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RIP…meet him at Demf in 2011.
Fuck! His actions tarnished his legacy but there would be no hip-hop without him. Rest in Peace, Unity, Love and Having Fun.
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I wouldn’t go that far, there was and still would be hiphop. There were also far more roots in the South than NY purists will let you believe.
His legacy was beyond tarnished, he was a serial child mollestor
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Um… yes, of course there were previous influences but if we’re talking about two turntables and a microphone that doesn’t happen without Bam. Period. That’s what was so heartbreaking about it all. He did some unforgivable shit but if you erase him you erase hip-hop. This world is so fucked up.
Pedophile.
Now a dead pedophile.
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Not denying his influence but saying without him hip hop wouldn’t happen is overstating it a bit imo. There were other people doing similar stuff with turntables and djing was taking off.
It’s heartbreaking to know about the pedo stuff. If there’s ever more info to come out perhaps he’ll be featured on behind the bastards. It’s not unusual for that kind of abuse to happen at the hands of popular artistic heroes. Just listened to the four part behind the bastards about phil Spector. Jfc. What a psycho.
All the pedos can rest in piss. But that dave chappelle bit “he rapes but he saves” is forever relevant it seems.
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BTB fan here as well 
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Yeah big yikes from me when I heard he was a child molestor.
Obviously genius comes or came with evil (EDIT: sadly as so often):
No, unfortunately it’s not. I love all the history but if we are talking about all the music and culture directly inspired by Flash and the Furious and Charlie Chase and the Cold Crush it just doesn’t happen without Bam. Something else may have been born instead but it wouldn’t have been hip-hop. The reason Kool Herc is called the father of hip-hop is because Bam said so. It would be convenient to write Bambaataa out and I’m not trying to defend him in the slightest but hip-hop as we know it is his legacy as fucked up as that is.
I hope this gives his victims some peace.
I’d happily live without his influence on music if it meant all them kids were spared what he put them through.
It’s not a “complex legacy”, it’s serial paedophillia. Serial paedophillia that he got away with, at that.
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His Planet Rock beat was heavily inspired by Ryuichi Sakamoto’s riot in lagos. The idea was there. Fortunately from someone, whose legacy is not destroyed by his evil actions.
Nonce
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Kinda reads like you are though.
He sexually abused children.
Nothing can over write that. I dont care what he may or may not have done otherwise. He was a nonce. Scum. Lowest of of the low.
Same as all the other famous people through out history that turned out to be child molesters. Complete scum.
Foul excuses for humans.
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