Over the past few months, allegations have been mounting—allegations we’ve neglected to cover here at The A.V. Club, for which we apologize—that Afrika Bambaataa, New York-based DJ and a seminal figure in the development of hip-hop, sexually abused a series of young boys throughout his career. The New York Daily News details allegations from four men, now in their 40s and 50s, who say Bambaataa molested them repeatedly when they were young teenagers. The boys were staying at Bambaataa’s Bronx apartment at the time, fleeing troubled home lives.
Bambaataa has vigorously denied the allegations. And at first the Universal Zulu Nation, the hip-hop awareness group started and formerly led by Bambaataa, stood by its founder, calling one of the accusers, Ronald Savage, “mentally challenged.” Now, though, the group has made an abrupt about-face, and has publicly apologized to Bambaataa’s alleged victims. “We extend our deepest and most sincere apologies to the many people who have been hurt by the actions of Afrika Bambaataa and the subsequent poor response of our organization to allegations leveled against him,” the statement, signed by three dozen members of the group’s leadership, reads.