Search - Afrika Bambaataa :: Warlocks & Witches Computer Chips Microchips & You

Few artists can claim to be the progenitor of their genre and also an upstart the way Afrika Bambaataa, the force behind Time Zone, can on Warlocks and Witches, Computer Chips, and You, his first widely available release since 1988's The Light. The awkwardly titled WAWCCMAY is significant not merely as the return of the godfather of hip-hop--one of the central figures of rap's formative era more than a decade ago--but also because the old man's record stands up to any kid MC who claims to take it to the next level (and they all do). Give Gramps some room--it seems he's still got much to offer. Bambaataa's strength lies in his worldview: where some rap stars are championed for representing their block (as in Staten Island, New York's Wu-Tang Clan), Bambaataa and his youth organization, Universal Zulu Nation, include the entire planet in their scope of positivity. The sense of inclusion extends to the music, in which Bambaataa routinely bounces together old-school beats, new-school assaults, jazz slides, African chants, punk rants, reggae romps, gogo bumps, new jack swings, James Brown jumps, and P-Funk pumps (and blatant ripoffs) into a monster jam that both sums up and advances everything hip-hop has come to signify. As with other Bambaataa records, WAWCCMAY is the combined effort of unknown rappers (Queen Asia, Arthur 4X, X) and familiar players (P-Funk Horns, Time Zone Band, Russel Booker) under the direction of the master producer. But at a whopping 78 minutes, there's room enough for everyone and everything--even some retreads ("Unity Part 7") and the title track's bizarre extraterrestrial conspiracy theory. --Roni Sarig