Afrika Bambaataa

Together with other visionary DJs such as Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa can be credited with inventing hip-hop in the late 1970s and early 1980s. His musical innovations and genuinely collaborative style--considering any record fair game to infuse with a hip-hop beat--made him a pioneer in the form. Moving from a live band approach to a more high-tech sound resulted in the classic smash hit "Planet Rock" in 1982.