2. Afrika Bambaataa
Befitting his mystical aura, Afrika Bambaataa has some of the sketchiest biographical details of any major American cultural figure in recent history. One thing that is known about the founder of the Universal Zulu Nation (and the father of hip-hop as a concept), whose birthdate and government name are even subject to conflicting reports, is that he was born in Manhattan to parents of Jamaican and Barbadian descent.