Afrika Bambaataa, the hip-hop pioneer behind the Universal Zulu Nation, has lost a civil case accusing him of child sexual abuse and trafficking.
The lawsuit, filed in 2021 by a plaintiff identified as John Doe, claimed the abuse began when the alleged victim was just 12 years old. Bambaataa, then in his mid-30s, never responded to the legal complaint.
A New York judge granted a default judgment “without opposition,” marking a major legal blow for Bambaataa. In 2016, he denied “any and all allegations of any type of sexual molestation of anyone,” calling them “baseless.”
Zulu Nation distanced itself back in 2021, saying the case was a “personal matter” for Bambaataa. Notably, Ronald Savage, who once accused Bambaataa of abuse, later amended his claims in 2023, saying Bambaataa “is not a pedophile.”
As of now, Bambaataa has not issued any new statement regarding this judgment.
