One of Afrika Bambaataa’s accusers is taking back his initial claims of being sexually abused by the hip-hop pioneer as a teenager.
Ronald “Bee-Stinger” Savage, 59, made media headlines in 2016 when he came forward with accusations of being sexually assaulted by the Universal Zulu Nation founder when he was a teenager in the 1980s. Eight years later, Savage addresses his claims to clear up any misinformation after posing for a photo with Bambaataa (real name Lance Taylor) at a recent Zulu Nation event.
“Never underestimate the power of God when he intervenes in an affair; he sets everything straight,” Savage told AllHipHop.
According to Savage, Bambaataa never took advantage of him as a teenager. The highly regarded hip-hop figure was under the impression that Savage was of age during their “consensual” sexual encounter.
“Bambaataa is not a pedophile and, in my eyes, he was doing something that was consensual with someone that he thought was of age.”
Savage continued:
“I wish, back in 2016, I remembered about the fake ID. I wasn’t thinking about that; I had forgot about that. I was in deep depression and still dealing with the trauma as an adult. I want to apologize for the little kid that didn’t know anybody and just wanted to be down with this thing called hip-hop so I pretended to be older.”
Savage was among seven men who came forward to accuse Bambaataa of sexual misconduct. Since publicly accusing Bambaataa, Savage has become an advocate for sexual abuse victims, with a focus on those within the hip-hop community. Now, he’s using his experience to bring “healing” to those with similar experiences.
“This is something that took place 35 to over 40 years ago. This man has never been convicted of anything. Let it go. I needed to set the record straight [and get] my closure,” he says.
“I just hope this brings healing to people around the world. If I can have forgiveness and healing, so can you.”
Afrika Bambaataa is recognized for playing a crucial role in establishing hip-hop culture in the 1970s by transforming it from gang affiliations into a movement centered on peace, which he dubbed the Universal Zulu Nation. Modeled on “peace,
unity, love, and having fun,” Bambaataa became notable for releasing genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of hip-hop culture. As one of the originators of breakbeat DJing, Bambaataa helped set the stage for what’s become known as breakdancing.RELATED CONTENT: Afrika Bambaataa Named Cornell Visiting Scholar