Nektar Geist
An Onion Among Onions
"Afrika Bambaataa, one of the founding figures of hip-hop culture, has died at the age of 67, the Hip Hop Alliance has confirmed.
In a statement, the organisation said Bambaataa helped shape a "global movement rooted in peace, unity, love, and having fun", paying tribute to his role in the emergence of hip-hop as both a musical genre and a cultural force.
Born Lance Taylor in the Bronx, Bambaataa grew up during the era of the black liberation movement. In 1973, he co-founded the Universal Zulu Nation, an international hip‑hop awareness group."
"In his later years, Bambaataa's reputation was overshadowed by allegations of child sexual abuse and trafficking, which he denied."
Ahem...
"Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa has lost a civil case suing him for child sexual abuse and trafficking after failing to show up in court.
In 2021, the anonymous plaintiff alleged that the DJ and producer sexually abused and trafficked him for four years, beginning in 1991, when he was 12 and Bambaataa 33 or 34 years old."
"In 2016, the Democratic party activist and former music industry executive Ronald Savage alleged that Bambaataa had repeatedly abused him in 1980, when he was 15 and Bambaataa 23. In 2024 he recanted his allegations, saying that he met Bambaataa at a club he had used a fake ID to enter.
“Bambaataa is not a paedophile and, in my eyes, he was doing something that was consensual with someone that he thought was of age,” he told AllHipHop. “I wish, back in 2016, I remembered about the fake ID.”
At the time, the allegations prompted more alleged victims to come forward, with Rolling Stone reporting that 12 men in total – not including Savage – have accused Bambaataa of sexual impropriety."
In a statement, the organisation said Bambaataa helped shape a "global movement rooted in peace, unity, love, and having fun", paying tribute to his role in the emergence of hip-hop as both a musical genre and a cultural force.
Born Lance Taylor in the Bronx, Bambaataa grew up during the era of the black liberation movement. In 1973, he co-founded the Universal Zulu Nation, an international hip‑hop awareness group."
"In his later years, Bambaataa's reputation was overshadowed by allegations of child sexual abuse and trafficking, which he denied."
Ahem...
"Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa has lost a civil case suing him for child sexual abuse and trafficking after failing to show up in court.
In 2021, the anonymous plaintiff alleged that the DJ and producer sexually abused and trafficked him for four years, beginning in 1991, when he was 12 and Bambaataa 33 or 34 years old."
"In 2016, the Democratic party activist and former music industry executive Ronald Savage alleged that Bambaataa had repeatedly abused him in 1980, when he was 15 and Bambaataa 23. In 2024 he recanted his allegations, saying that he met Bambaataa at a club he had used a fake ID to enter.
“Bambaataa is not a paedophile and, in my eyes, he was doing something that was consensual with someone that he thought was of age,” he told AllHipHop. “I wish, back in 2016, I remembered about the fake ID.”
At the time, the allegations prompted more alleged victims to come forward, with Rolling Stone reporting that 12 men in total – not including Savage – have accused Bambaataa of sexual impropriety."