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AP Photo/Evan Agostini

AP Photo/Evan Agostini

Cognitive dissonance isn’t just for White people who deny that Black Lives Matter.

Some of us drink the rose-colored kool-aid too – we just put more sugar in it.

Take for instance, legendary emcee KRS-One and his unconditional support of accused child sex abuser Afrika Bambaataa.

[Trigger warning: a lot sexual abuse apologizing ahead]

If you haven’t heard, four men have come forward and accused the Planet Rock singer and leader of the Zulu Nation movement of allegedly molesting them as teenage boys.

Bambaataa has vehemently denied those allegations. However after much public outrage, the Zulu Nation released a statement saying in part:

“The Universal Zulu Nation wishes to announce that it is currently under new leadership by the International and Regional U.S. Zulu Leaders. This will involve a significant restructure and will feature an in-depth re-assessment of how the organization will function to better serve our communities. As part of this restructure ALL accused parties and those accused of covering up the current allegations of child molestation have been removed and have stepped down from their current positions.”

Rumor has it, Bambaataa’s alleged sexual abuse of young men was a well guarded secret, not only in his native Bronx community, but in Hip-Hop itself. And even some insiders have come forward to share what they know, including Brand Nubian rapper (and leader of the #NoSkirtGang) who had this to say about the allegations:

 

For the record, Lord Jamar is a raging homophobe. However I do not think he would risk his reputation and credibility, particularly among the Hotep community, with defamatory statements against one of its greatest symbols.

Yet in spite of all of the evidence against him, Afrika Bambaataa still has his die-hard supporters, including KRS-One who during a recent Q&A in Birmingham, England, dismissed the accusation as gossip.

He also said:

“When you’re talking about Afrika Bambaataa, first of all, you’re talking about the person who invented Hip-Hop. Not participated in it. There was no Hip-Hop before Afrika Bambaataa. Let’s start there. So anyone who has a problem with Afrika Bambaataa should quit Hip-Hop.”

Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water. First off, people who speak in third person about themselves are annoying. But more to the point, telling folks who are concerned about allegations of sexual abuse that there only recourse is to “quit Hip-Hop” is quite dismissive. And childish.

And that is what the interviewer said too (minus the “childish” part). She confronted the Bronx-native emcee on his tone, particularly noting that his comments sounded like he was telling the world, he didn’t care about the allegations.

To which KRS responded:

“Let me tell you what I can care less about: accusations and gossip. KRS does not get involved in that. Show me the evidence and I will definitely have justice done.”

As the interviewer argued, beyond the four men who have come forward, all other “evidence” of abuse would be hard to come by considering so much time has passed. To which the rapper responded, “then why say anything?”

I can name a few reasons: closure, retribution and restoration, guilt, shame, the need to feel believed and unburdened, etc…

In the interviewer’s case, she argued that the men had come forward as a way to encourage Bambaataa to repent, or confess, his sins.

But KRS wasn’t at all convinced. And as he said:

“A confession is to a minister and police. When you out to destroy your own leadership, others who do read and do study and are out on the front lines of the revolution itself, like me, you don’t take accusations lightly. I will say unequivocally right here and right now, I hope for healing for everyone involved. First for those who are accusing Afrika Bambaataa – accusing [because] no evidence and no convictions. Okay. But we will at least give you the benefit of the doubt.”

As the interviewer astutely reminded the legendary rapper, “no one is untouchable.”

But as KRS said: “Yes they are. We have to learn that. Our leadership has to be untouchable or they’re not leaders.

If you can stomach it, you can watch the entire exchange here:

Honestly, I would have had more respect for the Boogie Down rapper if he had come right out and said: “He’s a good friend of mines and I’m not going to say anything bad about him.” Granted, many might still find his defense objectionable, but very few would fault him for having his homie’s back.

With that said, I don’t think impeccability is a lesson that “we” Black folks must learn. In fact, the belief that a person is beyond reproach because of their status in a particular community is not only absurd, but just as predatory as when White men use the same rationale to excuse their own crimes and indiscretions. Take for instance the Stanford Rape Case in which a White popular athlete was sentenced to only six months in jail for sexual assaulting an unconscious woman after a judge thought a harsher, more adequate sentence would have a “severe impact” on the rapist.

Or better yet, any time a White judge values the word of White cop – just because he is a White cop – over the truthful words of a Black defendant or victim.

My point is, too many of us are only in this liberation thing just to change positions with the oppressor who they secretly admire and envy. And quite frankly, I’m not into that. As far as I am concerned, we throw women and children under the bus enough in our community. And, if ignoring allegations of abuse because the person happens to be a prominent Black, most likely male, “leader” is the benchmark of liberation, or the revolution that KRS claims to be on the front lines of, then call me a straight up defector.

And to be all the way real, neither Bambaataa and KRS has mattered to Hip Hop since Self Destruction. To be honest, Hip Hop hasn’t done anything revolutionary since the days of Self-Destruction. As such, if these allegations against Bambaataa were all part of some grand conspiracy to discredit Hip Hop, why wait now when the shit has already discredited itself?

Charing Ball is a writer, cultural critic, free-thinker, slick-mouth feminist and queen of unpopular opinions from Philadelphia. To learn more, visit NineteenSeventy-Seven.com.

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