Zulu Nation: Hip Hop’s First Gay Family, Part 14 of 40, Hassan Campbell

Bronx–Lance Taylor took on the name Afrika Bambaataa and started a hip-hop awareness group. But former members say the Universal Zulu Nation was a violent gang that disintegrated into a cult with Bambaataa as the god-head. In 2016, several men came forward with disturbing tales of what they say took place from the 1970s into the 1990s. Although Peace, Unity, Love, and Having Fun was the motto of the Zulu Nation, Bambaataa fashioned the organization’s doctrine after Malachi York’s Nuwabian Nation, the Nation of Islam, the Moorish Science Temple, and the 5% Nation. “Today, the Zulu Nation counts hip-hop royalty like Nas, Lil Wayne, and Big Boi as affiliates, in addition to younger rappers like Joey Bada$ and Freddie Gibbs. Acclaimed TV series The Get Down—not to mention countless documentaries and a recent showcase at Cornell University—credit Bambaataa with uniting a divided neighborhood, offering a way out of gang life, and helping to launch a movement that would place African American art forms a