Ronald Bee-Stinger Savage recants his Bambaataa allegations and questions why the Hip-Hop community won’t let the late pioneer rest.
Ronald Bee-Stinger Savage sat down with AllHipHop to address the Afrika Bambaataa controversy that’s divided Hip-Hop for years, offering a perspective that challenges the narrative many have accepted.
The conversation comes as Bambaataa’s legacy remains complicated by multiple allegations spanning decades, with at least 12 men accusing the pioneering DJ of sexual impropriety.
Savage, who was 15 when he first encountered Bambaataa, clarified a critical detail. He explained that he told everyone he was 18 at the time because he wanted to fit in with older people and get into clubs.
“I started this and knowing that Bam didn’t deserve what he’s getting. You know, a lot of people are going off of hearsay,” Savage told AllHipHop’s Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur.
The conversation shifted when Savage addressed the core accusation. He emphasized that Bambaataa never forced him to do anything and that he participated willingly because he wanted to be part of the movement.
“I wanted to be down. Nobody forced me to do nothing. If Bam was forcing people, don’t you think he would have been in jail a long time ago? Don’t you think something would have happened, should have happened? Where’s the paperwork? There ain’t none. Everybody always talk about the paperwork. Well, where’s the paperwork? There ain’t none. Cut it out.”
Savage also addressed the default judgment cited as evidence against Bambaataa, which came after an anonymous plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit in 2021 alleging sexual abuse and trafficking from 1991 to 1995 when he was just 12 years old.
He explained that a default judgment doesn’t prove guilt or innocence; it simply means someone didn’t show up to court. In May 2025, Bambaataa lost that civil case via default judgment after failing to appear.
When asked about Hassan Campbell, who also came forward with allegations in 2016, Savage was direct. He claimed that Campbell took information from a 2016 conversation they had in Harlem and presented it as his own story on his YouTube channel.
“He didn’t even say much. I was the one talking. It was like he ain’t really have no story. And now all of a sudden when he on his channel he got a whole lot of stories,” Savage said, suggesting Campbell was being untruthful about his age.
Savage also revealed that he and Bambaataa had reconciled before the legendary DJ’s death. They were in contact for a long time before a public appearance together at a Zulu Nation cookout celebrating Queen Pepsi.
Looking forward, Savage emphasized the importance of focusing on Bambaataa’s cultural legacy rather than unproven allegations.
“Just stop the rumors. This man has passed away, let him rest in peace.”
Bambaataa was expelled from the Universal Zulu Nation in May 2016 following the initial wave of accusations. He died on April 9, 2026, due to complications from prostate cancer
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