Group cuts ties with Afrika Bambaataa over sex allegations

The Universal Zulu Nation, founded by Bronx-born hip hop legend Afrika Bambaataa, has cut ties with the DJ after recent allegations of child molestation. The activist group had repeatedly defended

News 12 Staff

May 9, 2016, 5:57 PM

Updated 2,908 days ago

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Group cuts ties with Afrika Bambaataa over sex allegations
The Universal Zulu Nation, founded by Bronx-born hip hop legend Afrika Bambaataa, has cut ties with the DJ after recent allegations of child molestation.
The activist group had repeatedly defended Bambaataa, denying all allegations over the past month.
Ronald Savage, 50, was the first alleged victim to speak publically. He joined the Zulu Nation in the Bronx in 1980 when he was 15, claiming that he spent a lot of time with Bambataa.
Over the course of roughly six months, he says Bambaataa touched him inappropriately and forced him to perform oral sex multiple times. Savage says he eventually cut ties with him, and waited for years to tell his story out of fear of the Zulu Nation.
"If I would've come out then the way that I did now, I probably would've been dead," Savage told News 12 The Bronx.
The Zulu Nation released a statement that says in part, "Based on the numerous allegations of child molestation, we as an organization cannot allow these allegations to tarnish the name and/or legacy of the Universal Zulu Nation."
Bambaataa's attorney says, "It is a sad day when a few people can simply tarnish a man's legacy with mere allegations and nothing else."
Since Savage first spoke out last month, reports say several other men have come forward claiming Bambaataa abused them.


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