Hip-hop artist, producer and clothing designer Kanye West later remixed the song for his 2012 compilation album “Cruel Summer” with himself, Keef, Pusha T, Big Sean and Jadakiss.

Rapper Lil Wayne scored a hit with his song “AK-47,” and Tupac Shakur had an image of the gun tattooed on his stomach. Many video games, such as “Grand Theft Auto,” feature AKs.

Until warfare evolves, the AK-47 will remain as devastatingly useful as it was half a century ago. Update: This blog post has been amended to remove the news peg. Share. Reuse this content.

1947: The AK-47, one of the world’s first operational assault rifles and probably the most durable and enduring small-arms weapons ever made, goes into production in the Soviet Union. More than ...