The national hip-hop awareness group Zulu Nation is distancing itself from Afrika Bambaataa in the face of several molestation accusations against him.
Previously, the group had dismissed the charges against Bambaataa as nothing more than “rumors, slander and outright lies.” But now, the group told the New York Daily News that it will re-examine the accusations, saying, “We have a duty to search for truth.”
–Afrika Bambaataa accused of sex abuse by three more men
Afrika Bambaata has been accused of abusing his leadership position to prey on young men sexually. Multiple men have come forward as adults to demand justice.
Zulu Nation announced they will bring in new leadership to look at the accusations with a new, more “in-depth re-assessment.”
Zulu Nation also announced that it would focus on “providing support for victims of abuse, rape and molestation and working more closely on other social issues existing in communities such as drug addiction, alcoholism and mental health.”
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Former members like Adisa Banjoko distanced themselves from Bambaataa before the official group did so, and in Banjoko’s case resigned from Zulu Nation altogether.
“The father in me, the teacher in me, the protector of the youth that I strive to be cannot be in the proximity of the allegations made against Afrika Bambaataa and top tier leadership of UZN,” Banjoko told HipHopDX.
Bambaataa’s lawyer, Charles Tucker, claimed that Zulu Nation’s statement is nothing more than a PR stunt, saying they were worried money given to the group would dry up in the face of controversy. Tucker claimed some accusers had reached out to the group in the hopes that they might “receive something.”
“This is not a crime story. This belongs in the gossip section. This is not Bill Cosby,” he said.
