#Zulu nation hip hop history movie

They have come to embrace and preserve Hip Hop’s key elements and have exemplified what is often considered Hip Hop’s 5th Element-‘ Knowledge‘. Again Bam’s main objective was to see to it that local cats got a chance to see there was a much bigger world outside the Bronx.Ĭhange didn’t happen over night, but today the testament to all that hard work is the fact that there are vibrant Zulu chapters in more than 20 countries all over the world with estimated membership of over 10 thousand. As Bam’s recording career blew up, he saw too it that many of folks who were from the streets got an opportunity to go on tour with him and the Soul Sonic Force. His feeling was that if you treated people like royalty then they would turn around and act like royalty in their actions. Bam often talks about how he would do simple things like bestow titles like ‘King’ and ‘Queen’ upon Zulu members in an attempt to instill pride and confidence. It was in this backdrop that Bambaataa and other conscious brothers spent a lot of time teaching and preaching and working with Zulu members to bring about positive change. Many of the early crews tried to associate themselves with Zulu Nation for protection from roving bands of stick up kids and other gangs turned crew. It was a sign of toughness and brought much prestige. It used to be a really big deal for cats to hang out at Bronx River and not get stuck up. Many of them from the Notorious Black Spades which once reigned terror throughout the Bronx in the early to mid 70s. While they gave birth to Hip Hop’s first B-Boys and B-Girls, the group for the most part was made up of former gang members. Back in the days Zulu’s struck fear in many who lived outside of their Bronx River Housing Project strong hold. The story behind the evolution of UZN is significant. As Hip Hop became popular, the group became known as the Mighty Zulu Nation and as later the Universal Zulu Nation. Bam was inspired by their resistance to Dutch settlers.

#Zulu nation hip hop history movie

Bam who was known for reading and staying up on the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and other African American leaders, changed the name to Zulu Nation after watching a movie of the same name that told the tale of the well known South African tribe. Back than it was simply known as ‘T he Organization‘.īam who once lived the gang lifestyle and was a Gang Lord was trying to change his ways and saw the newly formed group as a way out. For those who are unfamiliar with the Zulu Nation, they began as an organization founded by Afrika Bambaataa at Stevenson High School in the Bronx. They will also pay tribute to Hip Hop’s seminal figures Kool DJ Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. They are set to celebrate their 29th Anniversary this weekend where they will be paying tribute to soul music and funk music Godfathers, Sly Stone, James Brown, and George Clinton. Bambaataa also breaks down many of the myths surrounding early Hip Hop.įirst thing we wanna do is offer up our congratulations to Hip Hop’s oldest and largest organization, the Universal Zulu Nation. The forming of Zulu nation and the racial tensions that existed in NY as Hip Hop was forming. He talks about the early gangs and the culture of violence. He talks about the importance of Funk Music. In this interview Afrika Bambaataa gives an in depth look at what Hip Hop was like during the early days in the 1970s.

I also included an article written back in the 90s called From Gangs to GloryĪfrika Bambaataa breaks down the history of the Universal Zulu Nation this is from a BBC documentary The last one is a long interview done by myself and writer Mark Skillz, where Bam opens up and gives an in-depth History lesson. November marks Hip Hop History Month and hence we wanna kick things off by highlighting the work and perspective of one of Hip Hop’s founding fathers Afrika Bambaataa and the Universal Zulu Nation who celebrate their 40th anniversary this year (2013) Included below are a couple of short clips from documentaries where Bam speaks about Hip Hop culture and Zulu Nation.