Robbed Hit of the Week 7/30/12 - Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock"...

Afrika Bambaataa & The SoulSonic Force - "Planet Rock"

from the album Planet Rock - The Album (1986)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #48

This week's 'robbed hit of the week' is by one of the pioneers of hip-hop DJs, Afrika Bambaataa. Afrika began spinning at burgeoning clubs and parties in the late 70s/early 80s, and is said to have coined the use of the term hip-hop.

In 1982, he put out a 12" single for "Planet Rock", a spaced out jam that incorporated melody and beats from two songs of German electronic group Kraftwerk, "Trans-Europe Express" and "Numbers". It transcended the confines up R&B music, electronic music, and rock to a funky-ass stew....

The song not only propelled Bambaataa's name from the underground to the mainstream, but also that of remixer and producer Arthur Baker.

"Planet Rock" astonishingly missed the top-40 on the pop chart (pop radio wasn't ready for rap music yet), but the record was a #4 single on the R&B chart and #3 on the dance club chart. It also went gold, selling over a million copies over time.

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There have been countless rap acts that have sampled or remake "Planet Rock", including the 2 Live Crew, LL Cool J, and Paul Hardcastle. Afrika himself redid the song in 1992, taking it back onto the club chart.