Hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa is denying the allegations that he sexually abused four boys in the 1970s and 1980s. Instead, he claims that there's a conspiracy to tarnish his name.
"I completely deny all type of accusations that are being put forth against your brother Afrika Bambaataa," he said on The Ed Lover Show. "You really need to ask the question, 'Why now? What is the hidden agenda?'"
Bambaataa also denied that he knows his accuser, Ronald Savage, the first of four men to speak out against him. In an exclusive interview with The New York Daily News, Savage was quick to show why he thinks the "Planet Rock" creator isn't telling the truth.
"If Bambaataa says he doesn't know me, tell him to take a lie detector test," said Savage. "Ask him if he knew me or if abused me and other underage boys. I'll take one, too, and we'll see who is telling truth."
Earlier this month, Savage, 50, told the Daily News that Bambaataa molested him when he was a teenager hanging with The Zulu Nation in the Bronx. Since then, three other men have come forward with similar allegations. Now that it's been several decades since the incident, the statue of limitations to file criminal charges against Bambaataa passed. However, Savage's attorney Luis Sepulveda, said that he's "welcome" to a defamation lawsuit from Bambaataa since it will force the Zulu Nation member to take the stand.
"We welcome the opportunity to have [Bambaataa] speak under oath at a deposition," said Sepulveda. "We welcome the opportunity to present evidence to him. My client's allegations are true." Good point.
Savage, on the other hand, is hoping that his story sheds light on New York's statute of limitations for sex abuse cases, which prohibits child victims from pursuing criminal charges after their 23rd birthday.
Source: nydailynews.com
