Like Savage, Hassan "Poppy" Campbell, 39, grew up in a dysfunctional home and was surrounded by poverty and drug and alcohol addiction. He described life in the hardscrabble Bronx River Houses by saying: "One day you're at a party; the next day you're getting shot at, or you're on welfare." Campbell, who is a decade younger than Savage, was also drawn to Bambaataa. In the late 80s, when he was just 12 or 13, Campbell began hanging out with the Zulus and, like Savage, immersed himself in the burgeoning b-boy culture.Campbell lived in the Bronx River Houses with his mother and five siblings. His mom, he said, was "abusive" and suffered from mental illness. Like Savage, Campbell said the parties at the Center provided a healthy distraction from the chaos at home. He often fought with his mother and would run away, sometimes staying at Bambaataa's house when he had nowhere else to go. He too called Bambaataa a "father figure.""He took care of me," Campbell said. "He made sure I had everything I needed. And he made sure my mom had everything she needed."Bam was like the godfather," he added. "A lot of parents in our community were on drugs, and Bam took advantage of that.""Bam was like your uncle who paid your way through college, but molested you."—Hassan Campbell
Another alleged victim who stepped forward after Savage was a 51-year-old former Bronx resident who asked that only his first name, Troy, be used for this article. Troy, who also spoke out to the Daily News in April, told a tale that is similar to that of Savage and Campbell. His parents divorced when he was young, and he grew up with his mother and other relatives in the Bronx River Houses. He joined the Zulus for camaraderie and protection in the late 70s and got to know Bambaataa from hanging out at block parties. He looked up to and trusted Bambaataa—so much so that when he was 13, he decided to seek dating advice from the star DJ. In 1978, Troy was on his way to see his new girlfriend when he decided to stop by Bambaataa's house to get tips on what to do when it came time to be alone with her."I figured I'd go see Bam because he was like an older brother," Troy told me. "He said, 'You know about getting head and all that?' At that age, you don't think about stuff like that. Well, at least I didn't.""He said, You don't have to be gay to have that done to you. He did it, and I ended up telling him to stop. I didn't tell anyone until I was 30."—Troy
A lot of the people from the community don't publicly speak out about Bam because there is a fear there. Bam, he's always been strong. He has an army with him.—Hassan Campbell
While the Zulu Nation's initial response was to attack the alleged victims, the organization has since reversed course. In May, more than a month after Savage first spoke out publicly, the group excommunicated Bambaataa and several other top leaders. In a long public statement issued a few weeks after the announcement of the leadership change, the Zulu Nation made a heartfelt public apology to Savage and Campbell for "unjust and inexcusable attacks on their characters.""We extend our deepest and most sincere apologies to the many people who have been hurt by the actions of Afrika Bambaataa and the subsequent poor response of our organization to allegations leveled against him," the statement read. "To the survivors of apparent sexual molestation by Bambaataa, both those who have come forward and others who have not, we are sorry for what you endured and extend our thanks to those who have spoken out for your bravery in bringing to light that which most of us were sadly unaware of, and others chose not to disclose.""I feel good that I spoke up. But I wish I had the courage to come out when I was younger, so I could have saved other kids."—Ron Savage
On a recent, scorching day in East Harlem, the scene at Poor Richard's Playground on 109th Street and Third Avenue felt like a throwback to hip-hop's scruffy beginnings. Poppers and lockers practiced their moves on the tarmac. Young men worked up a sweat playing handball. Over at the DJ stand, DJ Jazzy Jay—the groundbreaking turntablist who released the first record with the iconic logo of Rick Rubin's Def Jam Records—took his turn at the decks.Held every Thursday in playgrounds across the Bronx, the park jams are modeled after the legendary original throwdowns at the Center. They are like a living, breathing museum of hip-hop history, attracting a who's who of the genre's formative years, many of whom are members or affiliates of the Zulu Nation. Bambaataa attended the park jams for years but has been conspicuously absent since the allegations surfaced.Savage, dressed in a fuchsia polo, pressed gray denims, and sleek gray Nikes, smiled, laughed, and bobbed his head as Jazzy Jay dropped a dusty breakbeat groove from the Meters. He said he was unfazed by the Zulus and Black Spades, some of whom are longtime friends of Bambaataa's and are angry with him and the others for going public. Savage was at ease, called the Zulus there his "friends," and said he harbored no ill will toward the organization as a whole. Like the other two alleged victims I interviewed for this piece, he said he's not considering any legal action against Bambaataa but would like an acknowledgement and an apology.Since making his accusations public, Savage said he's made it his mission to help protect a new generation of kids in the Bronx. He spoke about working with an organization called ULULY that focuses on utilizing hip-hop in education, and has launched a new awareness campaign for child sex abuse that he's seeking to have implemented in New York schools.Nearby, some children splashed in a water fountain. "I feel good that I spoke up," Savage said. "But I wish I had the courage to come out when I was younger, so I could have saved other kids."This article was originally published on THUMP.