Afrika Bambaataa, Dead at 68

Pioneer and alleged pedophile, Afrika Bambaataa is no more. Though he lost in a civil suit against a man who said Bambaataa molested him when he was twelve years old, no criminal charges ever surfaced against the rap trailblazer and supposed pervert.

With his legacy forever tarnished by these allegations, it was the power of Mr. Troi “Star” Torain who first brought the cases to prominence with his YouTube show.

Ronald “Bee-Stinger” Savage voiced his story and the name Afrika Bambaataa took on a whole new meaning. After success with his seminal record “Planet Rock” Bambaataa became a force in the genre of hip hop, helping it to rise to prominence during the late seventies to early eighties when the single dropped.

Since then, Baambaataa had somewhat languished but still headed the Universal Zulu Nation which featured artists like Ice-T and Big Boi at one point or another.

The allegations led to Bambaataa’s exit from head of the Nation. While he denied the claims against him vehemently, he still had to endure the harshness of reality that ultimately enveloped him.

Bambaataa could have made hip hop a culture a long time ago. Without guidelines, parameters and a council, according to Mr. Torain, rap music has become a free-for-all ever since.

Without the allegations, Baambaata could have been a trailblazer unfettered by the chains of his own alleged horrific behavior. With the onslaught of various young men who have claimed to have been violated by Bambaataa, it is only fitting that he now serves as a cautionary tale.

For anyone who wishes to follow in his footsteps, they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It’s sad that Bambaataa never saw justice in his lifetime.

This must be rectified. Every abuser out there should have the cold steel bracelets of justice wrapped around their wrists.

For Bambaataa to go out in such a way as prostate cancer is almost like a relief to him and a frustration for his alleged victims.

Just days before his 69th birthday, Bambaataa succumbed to the disease and left at least a dozen men hanging onto their own words without repercussions or real answers to their cries.

What’s saddest is the fact that these young men didn’t receive the support of the rap genre and largely looked at their claims as false or frivolous. The downfall of this rap figure lies in the fact he didn’t admit to anything.

Even disgraced football coach for Penn State Jerry Sandusky admitted to “horseplay” in the showers with minors. Bambaataa never confessed to his assumed waywardness.

His ability to distinguish fact from reality contributed to his fall from grace. Once a towering player on the music stage, he, in later years, couldn’t escape the allegations and this may have played a role in his health deteriorating. His ultimate demise will send scholars and biographers scrambling to discover the truth behind “Bamdudky” as Internet trolls have dubbed him in the wake of the allegations.

What may seem as just a few young men looking for a payday might now block accolades and achievements in Bambaataa’s name. They might push to exclude him from receiving recognition during awards shows and stop whatever money he may have received in the form of residuals. This is the cold water to the face that the alleged victims are waking up to now.

They are becoming aware of the death of a leading individual who had been involved in alleged, terrible activities. In order for these men to have peace, they might ironically form that council for hip hop in their own names rather than just have Bambaataa receive all of the shine in death.