RNRHOF Follies

Rock on:

Madonna, the Beastie Boys, the Dave Clark Five, Leonard Cohen, Afrika Bambaataa, John Mellencamp, the Ventures, Donna Summer and Chic have been nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year.

Afrika Bambaataa! OK, Planet Rock is one of my favorite records, but it's pretty much Bambaataa's only claim to fame. (Well, that and the innumerable identical-sounding cash-ins that followed it.) I've never really been too clear on what his actual contribution to the song was. The performer on the track is credited as Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force. The Soul Sonic Force was, at least in that incarnation, three rappers. Bambaataa was a DJ. There's no DJing on the record. The whole thing was played and programmed by John Robie and produced by Arthur Baker. And, of course, the main melody and the rhythm were both ripped off from Kraftwerk. They're still waiting to get nominated. It's a dirty shame.