Published
Tue, Apr 26, 2016, 18:28
- "There's something big behind this."
Afrika Bambaataa has spoken publicly about the mounting sexual abuse accusations against him.
Earlier this spring, former music industry executive Ronald Savage levelled claims against the hip-hop pioneer that he molested Savage while he was a teenager. Shortly after, three other men—one named Hassan Campbell and two others who wished to remain anonymous—came forth with more allegations against Bambaataa.
As Pitchfork reports, after releasing a formal statement denying the accusations, Bambaataa went on The Ed Lover Show for his first interview since the scandal broke. On the radio, Bambaataa said "You really need to ask the question, 'Why now? And what is the hidden agenda behind this?' Is it because I'm still relevant today trying to help people across the world?"
He added that "there's something big behind this," and hinted at conspiracies against Universal Zulu Nation, the charity he heads up. You can listen to the interview below.
In the wake of the sexual abuse allegations, there have been calls for Bambaataa to step down from the Universal Zulu Nation. There's also a petition for Cornell University to cut ties with the artist after the school announced it would be archiving Bambaataa's record collection.