After an accuser who is only identified as John Doe sued the rapper and Zulu Nation under the Child Victims Act, the group that he founded distances itself from the 64-year-old Bronx artist.
- September 9, 2021
AceShowbiz - Afrika Bambaata will seemingly finally be dragged into court after years of sexual assault allegations. The hip-hop pioneer and Zulu Nation have been sued by an accuser, who is only identified as John Doe, under the Child Victims Act.
According to Metropolis, John Doe filed the lawsuit on August 4, ten days before the August 14 deadline of the CVA. The CVA grants victims of childhood sexual assault a one-year window to file suit, regardless of how long ago the assault took place.
The lawsuit alleges that Afrika, whose real name is Lance Taylor, freely masturbated in front of John Doe, who was a 12-year-old boy at the time of the alleged abuse. He is also accused of committing full rape by sodomy on the minor child.
The suit also alleges that while parading himself as a pillar in the community and the leader of a righteous organization, Bambaataa's degradation and humiliation of this young boy knew no bounds. The suit claims Afrika had no regard for human life because he transported and supplied this young boy to other deviant, perverted males for cash.
Afrika has yet to respond to the lawsuit, but the Universal Zulu Nation has released a statement distancing itself from its former leader. "Nothing has changed since 2016 when these decades ago accusations first surfaced," the group stated. "This is a personal matter for Afrika Bambaataa and his lawyers to deal with and has absolutely nothing to do with the 10 year long UZN-DOCA mission, programs and projects which continue in the revolutionary legacy of both The Black Panther Party & The Young Lords Party to Serve The People, Body & Soul."
The first child molestation allegation against Afrika was brought up in April 2016 by Bronx political activist Ronald "Bee-Stinger" Savage, who accused the rapper of molesting him in 1980, when Ronald was 15. Following Ronald's allegations, more men accused came forward with similar allegations against Afrika.
Afrika has denied all allegations against him, but the scandal led to him stepping down as head of The Universal Zulu Nation. In June that year, Zulu Nation apologized to the people alleging Afrika had sexually abused them while expressing responsibility for the organization's "poor response."
