Overview
- The pioneering DJ-producer died in Pennsylvania on Thursday after a cancer battle, according to his attorney and longtime associates.
- Naf Management Entertainment issued a tribute that credited his vision with helping build hip-hop into a global force.
- He helped define the genre’s sound with the 1982 track Planet Rock, which brought drum machines and synthesizers into rap and electro-funk.
- His reputation faced sustained scrutiny after 2016 as multiple men accused him of sexual abuse, and the Universal Zulu Nation posted a public apology that year.
- El Periódico reported a 2025 conviction in absentia for abusing a 12-year-old over four years, though he had denied the accusations.