Numerous reports have come out today about the passing of hip-hop pioneer, Afrika Bambaataa. While his impact on the genre is never going to be forgotten, some folks will remember him for his controversies. One of those individuals would be Hassan Campbell, who looked up to the Universal Zulu Nation founder.
In fact, his admiration was so deep that Campbell became a member of the group as an early teenager. However, his experience slowly became horrific as he's detailed many times before. Around the age of 13, he claimed that Bambaataa would show him homosexual pornography.
It then allegedly got to the point where Bambaataa was touching and forcing Campbell to perform oral sex on him. "This wasn’t no one-time thing. This was an ongoing thing for several years," he claimed per Vice.
It wasn't until his late teenage years that Campbell finally broke away from Bamabaataa and his alleged behaviors. But after serving a stint behind bars, it sounds like the alleged abuse didn't stop. While he's credited him before for being a father-like figure, it came with a major caveat.
"When I came home from jail, Bam took me shopping and stuff like that. Bam was like your uncle who paid your way through college but molested you," he said.
With that in mind, Campbell didn't seem to have much compassion after hearing about Bambaataa's passing.
Afrika Bambaataa Reportedly Passes Away
In a video posted to his Facebook account, he said in part, "I just want to take the time out to say rest in peace to the greatest child predator who ever walked this earth, Afrika Bambaataa."
Campbell's allegations among others from men like Bronx native and political activist Ronald Savage, were too much. As a result, Universal Zulu Nation would boot Bambaataa from the group in 2016.
Things even went to court in 2021 after an anonymous accuser sued him for alleged sexual abuse and sex trafficking. This case actually ended in defeat for Bambaataa as the alleged victim was granted a default judgment after he didn't appear in court.
Bambaataa always profusely denied the allegations that were brought against him.
The New Yorker, TMZ says, died at around 3:00 a.m. today due to cancer complications in Pennsylvania.
