On Tuesday (April 12), hip-hop icon Afrika Bambaataa released a statement denying sexual abuse claims made against him by Ronald Savage, a former member of the Universal Zulu Nation. Savage released a memoir alleging that Bambaataa began molesting him while he was a teenager and Bambaataa was 23.
Bambaataa addressed the claims in a statement to Rolling Stone, which read, "I, Afrika Bambaataa, want to take this opportunity at the advice of my legal counsel to personally deny any and all allegations of any type of sexual molestation of anyone." The music pioneer continued, saying, "These allegations are baseless and are a cowardly attempt to tarnish my reputation and legacy in hip-hop at this time. This negligent attack on my character will not stop me from continuing my battle and standing up against the violence in our communities, the violence in the nation and the violence worldwide.”
Savage's claims are allegedly supported by an audio tape of fellow Universal Zulu Nation members offering to pay $50,000 to keep the sexual assaults quiet.
Source: rollingstone.com
