Afrika Bambaataa Sued for Sexually Abusing a 12-Year-Old Boy in the Early 90s

Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa is being sued for sexually abusing and trafficking a young boy.

The lawsuit was filed in Bronx Supreme Court on August 4th by lawyers representing a victim identified only as John Doe. In the suit documents, John Doe says he met the founder of the Universal Zulu Nation in 1991 when he was just 12-years-old. John Doe began attending gatherings at the Bronx River Community Center and eventually joined the Zulu Nation. Once Bambaataa and Zulu Nation co-founder Amad Henderson established their headquarters in a Bronx apartment, John Doe would come over and use the in-home gym.

According to the suit, Bambaataa, whose real name is Lance Taylor, began complimenting the twelve-year-old’s body and eventually started inappropriately touching him. Bambaataa then began showing the pre-teen pornography while encouraging him to masturbate in front of him. John Doe says the abuse lasted for four years. The suit alleges the man transported and sold the boy to other pedophiles in exchange for cash.

This is not the first time the eccentric rap leader has been accused of sexually abusing young boys. In 2016, Troi “Star” Torain interviewed a former Zulu Nation member who claims that he was sexually assaulted by Bambaataa and other Zulu Nation members when he was a ninth-grader. Other accusers came forward soon after with similar tales of grooming and trafficking.

Afrika Bambaataa founded the Universal Zulu Nation in the 1970s to promote hip-hop culture. He is most widely known for his 1982 record, “Planet Rock.”