The hip-hop world is mourning one of those legends, Robert Darrell Allen, the culture’s beloved Pow Wow from the legendary Soulsonic Force, who died on April 4 after a long illness and was around 64 years old. Now, just as friends, family, and fans are readying to bid him their final farewells, the outpouring of love and respect from hip-hop royalty could not be louder.
Speaking from the heart in a heartfelt statement, Pow Wow’s widow, U. Seville Draper-Allen, thanked everybody who stood by them. “This is an incredibly trying time, filled with many unexpected twists and turns and emotional pains we haven’t experienced before that have tested us in unimaginable ways,” she wrote. “But it was faith and love that propelled us. Speaking on behalf of my husband and the family today, I know he would say that he understands you love him, as we do. He feels that your spirit covers him and our entire family, and he would also say that he loves you right back,’” she said. I love you more.’ ”
The influence of Pow Wow on hip-hop cannot be overstated. As a groundbreaking crew Soulsonic Force member, he helped lay the groundwork for a genre that would change the world. Songs like “Planet Rock,” on which he appeared with Mr. Biggs and MC G.L.O.B.E., were not music alone; they were moments when the culture changed.
Kool DJ Red Alert, a hip-hop linchpin, reminisced about Pow Wow’s infectious personality and loving nature. “Farewell to emcee Pow Wow. When I joined Zulu Nation in 1979, he welcomed me with open arms,” Red Alert said. “Pow Wow made up the term ‘Red Alert Goes Berserk.’ A true crowd pleaser.”
“He was the life of the party, as always,” Mr. Biggs said, recalling when complex technical problems might have ruined a show, except Pow Wow just picked up the mic, and the crowd kicked back into gear. “When you think of my type of guy, you can always depend on him,” Biggs said. “I can never forget my brother Pow Wow.”
Another Zulu Nation original, Cholly Rock, also shared plenty of recollections of those formative times, busting backs on the mic, crashing at friends’ houses, and hustling in the untamed days of the movement before any bit of fame ever graced them. Confined at home as he recovered from a medical procedure, Cholly’s longing came through loud and clear. “Let your journey be a beautiful one … We are pioneers, son.”
Pow Wow was known in life for his spirit and joy, for his ability to electrify a crowd. In death, he is remembered as a trailblazer whose voice helped ignite a global revolution. As the beats continue, so does his legacy, permanently woven into the fabric of hip-hop.
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