A man is making strong allegations against the “godfather of hip-hop” Afrika Bambaataa & Zulu Nation.
As reported on The Jasmine Brand, John Doe claims when he was 12, he was sexually abused by Afrika Bambaataa (Lance Taylor). According to the report, the lawsuit claims Afrika Bambaataa masturbated and sodomized the then 12-year-old boy. The suit says, “While parading himself as a pillar in the community and the leader of a righteous organization, Bambaataa’s degradation and humiliation of this young boy knew no bounds.”
All Hip Hop points out Bambaataa is also accused of prostituting the 12-year-old boy to older men for four years. The article also says the suit was filed in the Bronx Supreme Court on August 4, 2021, “ten days before the August 14th deadline of the Child Victims Act (CVA) and a week before the celebration of Hip-Hop’s birthday — an occasion that Bam had championed for years.”
The publication also notes the alleged sex crimes took place at Zulu Nation’s National Headquarters (and Bambaataa’s personal Bronx River apartment) on 1609 East 174th Street. The Source reports that Bambaataa is accused of assault, civil battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent emotional distress, and gross negligence.
In 2016, Bambaataa was accused of sexually assaulting musician-turned-activist Ronald Savage. Savage claims when he was 23, Bambaataa molested him by forcing him to perform oral sex. After Savage spoke out, more alleged victims followed.
The Universal Zulu Nation removed Bambaataa as their leader. They released a statement saying,”Nothing has changed since 2016 when these decades ago accusations first surfaced. This is a personal matter for Afrika Bambaataa and his lawyers to deal with and has absolutely nothing to do with the 10 year long UZN-DOCA mission, programs and projects which continue in the revolutionary legacy of both The Black Panther Party & The Young Lords Party to ‘Serve The People, Body & Soul.’”
Bambaataa hasn’t publicly spoken on the allegations or the lawsuit. Bambaataa formed the hip hop awareness group, the Universal Zulu Nation in the 1970’s.