Afrika Islam

At ten years old, Charles “Afrika Islam” Glenn was breakdancing for the Rock Steady Crew. He then apprenticed under hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaata as a Zulu King B-Boy, mastering the use of four turntables at once and earning the nickname ‘Son Of Bambaata’. When Bambaata took a crew overseas to introduce hip hop to Europe, Islam filled in at The Roxy and the nightly crowd grew from 200 to 2,000.

Roxy manager Kool Lady Blue bought radio time on WHBI-FM to promote the club, leading to radio pioneer Earl “Rootsman” Chin giving Islam his own show Zulu Beat – making him the first radio DJ to have a dedicated hip hop show. Islam invited Donald D to rap on the show and tapes of it spread across the US, eventually reaching as far as Europe.

Islam traveled to LA in 1984 and after headlining a show at The Radio in Los Angeles (a nightclub at which Ice-T regularly performed). Ice began working with Islam – both appearing in the film Breakin' II (1984). Ice later invited Islam to join his collective Rhyme Syndicate, whose future members would include Coolio, Everlast, and, at his suggestion, Islam’s old radio partner Donald D.

Islam made beats and produced for Ice and several other Syndicate rappers in the late 1980s & early 1990s. He also appeared in the film Pump up the Volume (1990) and remixed songs for Michael Jackson, Madonna and New Order during this time. In 1996. Islam released two singles in Germany, one featuring Ice-T, the other featuring Melle Mel. In 1999, he and German DJ Westbam released an album under the name Mr X & Mr Y.