More Men Are Speaking Out on Afrika Bambaataa Sexual Assault Allegations
Afrika Bambaataa's been in hot water recently after numerous allegations of sexual assault have been levied against him.
Previously, former Zulu Nation member Ronald “Bee-Stinger” Savage accused the hip-hop pioneer of sexually abusing him while he was a teenager. Others since then have come forward and described some pretty graphic stories about dark encounters they’ve had with Bam.
Even more recently, Vice sat down with Savage and two other alleged victims, who described multiple occasions of abuse by Bambaataa.
"He was like a god. It was like, 'This is the guy I had always heard about.' Everybody knew who Afrika Bambaataa was back then," Savage remembered in first meeting Bambaataa. He would later become a crate boy for Bambaataa and carried records to gigs for him. "He was a father figure to me," he later added. Savage then claimed he was molested four or five times in later years.
The other two known alleged victims, Hassan Campbell and a man who identifies as Troy, are now starting to speak up about what they experienced as well. They’ve relayed to others how Bambaataa selected his alleged victims and how this has been a secret for so long.
"Bam took the kids who were struggling — the kids who didn't have good parents and had nothing," a longtime DJ associate of Bambaataa's revealed. "It's all about the money. These guys [in Zulu Nation] are on the payroll — doing security, carrying equipment. A lot of them have felony records. They can't get other jobs. They needed that paycheck. So they would keep quiet."
Afrika Bambaataa has gone on record calling all sexual assault allegations against him “false.” He has since been barred from the Zulu Nation, who has also publicly apologized to Ronald Savage after initially denying the assertion they conspired to silence any of Bam’s victims.
"To the survivors of apparent sexual molestation by Bambaataa, both those who have come forward and others who have not, we are sorry for what you endured and extend our thanks to those who have spoken out for your bravery in bringing to light that which most of us were sadly unaware of, and others chose not to disclose," the hip-hop awareness group wrote in a statement.
Afrika Bambaataa has yet to publicly reply to the newest comments made against him.