In 2021, Afrika Bambaataa was sued for child sex trafficking. The hip-hop pioneer has lost the civil case after failing to show up in court. The plaintiff’s motion for a default judgment was “granted without opposition” in New York State’s Supreme Court by Judge Alexander M. Tisch.
The unnamed accuser alleged Bambaataa sexually abused and trafficked him for four years starting in 1991, when he was 12 years old and Bambaataa was 33 or 34. Before that, Bambaataa was accused of child sexual abuse in 2016 by Democratic Party activist and former music industry executive Ronald Savage, who claimed Bambaataa molested him several times in 1980, when he was 15 years old and Bambaataa was 23.
Several other alleged victims came forward after that, and Bambaataa denied all of the allegations, saying they were "a cowardly attempt to tarnish my reputation and legacy in hip-hop at this time." Per Rolling Stone, there are 12 men in total with allegations against Bambaataa.
If you or someone you know is undergoing sexual abuse, please visit rainn.org or contact the National Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-800-656-4673.
