Hip-hop legend Afrika Bambaataa has been accused of sexually abusing and trafficking a 12-year-old boy in the 1990s, according to a lawsuit filed last month, reports say.
The suit, filed under New York’s 2019 Child Victims Act, alleges that Bambaataa, who was 34 at the time, sexually abused the child for four years, usually in his Bronx River home. The accuser says Bambaataa also prostituted him out to other men in exchange for money, according to Chicago’s Metropolis newspaper.
The plaintiff was only able to file a lawsuit after so many decades because the state of New York recently passed the New York Child Victims Act — which, for a limited time, allowed victims of much older sex crimes to pursue legal action. The plaintiff, called “John Doe” in the suit, filed his papers ten days before the deadline.
“John Doe” claims that he began attending meetings of Bambaataa’s Zulu Nation at the Bronx River Community Center in 1991, when he was 12. He says he soon became a member of Bambaataa’s “security force.”
Bambaataa, whose real name is Lance Taylor, started the Zulu Nation in the 1980s by coopting the street gang called the Black Spades. While the group was still made up of petty criminals, Bambaataa began moving his attention from street activism to music.
“John Doe” claims that Bambaataa began grooming him for sex by complimenting him on his body and constantly touching his shoulders, neck, back, and buttocks. He also claims the artist exposed the child to pornography, which led to mutual masturbation and, later on, more advanced sexual abuse. The suit also alleges that Bambaataa invited other men to abuse the boy and watched while they did so.
Doe’s lawsuit claims he suffered physical injuries from the abuse and has permanent emotional distress and depression. He also says that he developed serious mental issues and cannot keep a job.
Bambaataa has been accused of sexual abuse several times. In 2016, political activist Ronald Savage came out and claimed he was only 15 when he was sexually abused the hip-hop star. The next year, rapper Izlam also accused Bambaataa of sexual abuse and added that members of Zulu Nation were threatening him. Izlam was shot and killed that year.
Zulu Nation, which was also named in the lawsuit, eventually disavowed Bambaataa and formally apologized to his accusers. But the organization also said it won’t comment on the latest allegations.
“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… we will neither make nor provide any further comments or responses regarding the aforementioned legal matter,” Zulu Nation said in a statement.
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