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Last week two of Hip-Hop’s most iconic figures appeared to clash, this after a letter released by the Zulu Nation stated that Kool Herc did create the culture. Zulu Nation founder Afrika Bambaataa has addressed the supposed division in a following statement this week, and says his group and Herc are not at odds.

Around the country and the globe earlier in the month, many fans celebrated what was reported as the 40th anniversary of Hip-Hop. Quadeer “MC Spice” Shakur of the Zulu Nation released a statement saying that Herc has misrepresented the date and also claimed the Zulus were around before Hip-Hop. Shakur went on to write that Herc was “invited” to the Hip-Hop circle by Bambaataa but did concede he may have been deejaying for the last four decades.

In order to stave off rumors of a beef, Bambaataa gave AllHipHop.com an exclusive statement that silenced any talk of much larger problem.

From the statement:

To anybody who thought they were causing friction, it’s not happening. Kool Herc is my brother. To the Hip-Hop communities worldwide, let’s focus on the positive things concerning Hip-Hop. We still need music programs for kids in our schools, after school program incentives, morning programs for our elders, healthcare for Hip-Hoppers and communities of disconnected people worldwide.

What’s more important is a Million Man/Woman March against the killings by our own in our own communities, and working to end the racist prison system designed to incarcerate Black and Latino men and women at a higher rate and for longer terms. These are the issues that must be addressed, and that are more important than worrying about causing a “beef” between my brother Kool Herc and I.

Kool Herc has yet to respond publicly to the statements.

Photo: Fresno Alliance