Last week, Ronald “Bee Stinger” Savage came forward with his story of sexual assault at the hands of rap pioneer Afrika Bambaataa. Savage, 50, alleged that the rapper had molested him several times, starting when Savage was 15 years old.
In an interview with the New York Daily News, Savage said he was speaking out in order to help change statute of limitation laws.
“I promised myself before I die, I’m going to let the world know what happened to me,” he told the News. “They need to get rid of the statute of limitations. How can anyone who has not been a victim say when somebody is ready to speak about this?”
Bambaataa not only denied the allegations but released a statement Tuesday through Rolling Stone.
“I, Afrika Bambaataa, want to take this opportunity at the advice of my legal counsel to personally deny any and all allegations of any type of sexual molestation of anyone,” Bambaataa said. “These allegations are baseless and are a cowardly attempt to tarnish my reputation and legacy in hip-hop at this time. This negligent attack on my character will not stop me from continuing my battle and standing up against the violence in our communities, the violence in the nation and the violence worldwide.”
Savage says the alleged incident still has an impact on his life today, especially when it comes to being intimate with people.
“I want him to know how much he damaged me growing up,” said Savage. “I was just a child. Why did he take my innocence away? Why did he do this to me?”