Ronald Savage
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Ronald "Bee-Stinger" Savage (born October 6, 1965) is an American entrepreneur, hip hop artist, author, and activist. He was a "crate boy" for
Jazzy Jay John Byas (born November 18, 1961), also known as The Original Jazzy Jay or DJ Jazzy Jay, is an American hip hop Turntablism, DJ and producer. Background Jazzy Jay was born into a Gullah family in coastal South Carolina. He moved with his famil ...
, who was the DJ for Lance Taylor, better known as
Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of ...
. In 2016, Savage publicly accused Bambaataa of sexually molesting him when he was 15. In 2024 on allhiphop.com, Ron "Bee Stinger" Savage clarified some of his story by stating "Bambaata is not a pedophile". He also clarified more of the story adding he had a fake I.D. and pretended to be older to get into the parties.


Early life

Growing up in the Castle Hill Houses in
The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
, Savage became a member of the
Universal Zulu Nation The Universal Zulu Nation is an international hip hop culture, hip hop awareness group formed by electro (music), electro/hip hop artist Afrika Bambaataa. According to the website of the UZN, the Zulu Nation stands for "knowledge, wisdom, und ...
at the age of 14. Savage used to spend time with
DJ Jazzy Jay John Byas (born November 18, 1961), also known as The Original Jazzy Jay or DJ Jazzy Jay, is an American hip hop DJ and producer. Background Jazzy Jay was born into a Gullah family in coastal South Carolina. He moved with his family to New Yor ...
while he recorded records in the early 1980s. Savage states, "The best time I had in hip hop, when I was a kid was being paid after the parties, we were being paid (by Bambaataa) in White Castles Hamburgers".


Accusations against Afrika Bambaataa

Savage is best known for accusing
Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is a retired American DJ, rapper, and record producer. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenced the development of ...
of molesting him when Savage was 15 in 1980. The story broke in 2016 when veteran radio personality Troi "STAR" Torain, formerly of ''Star & Buc Wild'' on
Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding, a subsidiary of the Standard General hedge fund. WQHT's st ...
, interviewed Savage on his virtual ''SHOT97'' show. Savage was then featured on the front page of the ''
New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' on April 9. The
Universal Zulu Nation The Universal Zulu Nation is an international hip hop culture, hip hop awareness group formed by electro (music), electro/hip hop artist Afrika Bambaataa. According to the website of the UZN, the Zulu Nation stands for "knowledge, wisdom, und ...
responded with an open-letter apology to all the men who were allegedly abused by Bambaataa when they were underage. After the Childs Victims Act passed in New York, Savage did not file suit against Afrika Bambaataa and later recanted his story. An anonymous man filed a child sex trafficking lawsuit in August 2021 against Afrika Bambaataa before the Child Victims Act one year window closed. Bambaataa has not responded to the open 2021 case. ''John Doe v. Lance Taylor, Case 70331/2021E,'' was filed in the Bronx Supreme Court. Doe's lawyer has requested a default judgment.


Legal troubles

In 2024, Savage registered the trademark Hip Hop Stands With Survivors and is being sued for trademark fraud by journalist Leila Wills. Wills alleges Savage used her mark and artwork in his registration application and defrauded two New York senators under the name Hip Hop Stands With Survivors. The federal lawsuit was filed in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, titled ''Leila Wills v. Savage'', Case 1:24:cv:03752. Wills filed an additional complaint with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Savage's registration. Cancellation proceeding number 92085256 at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board is pending the results of the Southern District of New York civil action.


Music career

Savage got his start in the music industry in 1986 when Jazzy Jay built his recording studio in the Bronx on Blondell Ave. He paid his dues by running errands for Jazzy. In 1986, Jazzy Jay teamed up with Rocky Bucano to start Strong City Records. Soon, Jazzy moved the label to Allerton Ave in the Bronx, where Savage convinced the DJ's to play records of Strong City artists on rap radio and in rap clubs. Soon after in 1988 Strong City Records was acquired by
MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...
to become Strong City / MCA /
Uni Records Uni Records (short for the label's legal name Universal City Records and rendered as UNI) was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinctive UNi logo, was established in 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen and develop ...
. There, Savage worked on Strong City Record acts such as
Busy Bee Starski David James Parker (born October 26, 1962), known by the stage name Busy Bee, is an American old-school hip hop musician from New York, NY. First coming on the New York City music scene in 1977, Busy Bee worked with many of hip-hop's founding f ...
, Def Duo, Ultimate Force, Ice Cream Tee, Nu Sounds, BZ2 M.C.'s, and other groups like
Brand Nubian Brand Nubian is an American hip hop group from New Rochelle, New York, composed of three emcees ( Grand Puba, Sadat X and Lord Jamar), and formerly three DJs ( DJ Alamo, DJ Sincere, and DJ Stud Doogie). Their debut studio album, '' One for Al ...
, Showbiz & A.G,
Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of Hip-hop, hip hop group D.I.T.C., Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a sol ...
, which all worked out of Jazzy Jay Studios. A few years later, he left Strong City Records and began working for Dick Scott Entertainment, the management company for the
New Kids on The Block New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block had ...
, Marky Mark,
Boyz II Men Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...
. At Dick Scott Entertainment, Savage worked as an artist liaison for the rap group
Snap! SNAP! is a German Eurodance group formed in 1989 by producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. The act has undergone several lineup changes over the years, featuring American singers, songwriters, and rappers such as Thea Austin, Turbo ...
, whose single " I Got The Power" went No. 1 on the weekly charts in Spain, UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, as well as the Eurochart Hot 100. In 1990 the song hit No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Savage also handled for Dick Scott Entertainment other groups as
Doug E Fresh Douglas Davis (born September 17, 1966), known professionally as Doug E. Fresh, is a Barbadian-born American rapper, record producer, and beatboxer, also known as the "Human Beat Box". The pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing, Fresh is ab ...
, Ikey Cee, and Show Biz & A.G. While working as an artist liaison at Dick Scott Entertainment, he had a mild stroke from the constant stress at his job which ended his career in the music industry. Ronald Savage states about his released single in 2018 "Hip Hop Movement Anthem": "I'm not rapping on the single, this is an arrangement of classic hip hop beats for the clubs and DJ’s to bring fun and peace back to the forefront of hip-hop." Savage is the service mark owner of the registered brand Hip Hop Movement, registered with the United States trademark and patent office.


Non-profit and political work

In 2005, Savage started a non-profit organization called United Coalition Association. Its mission was to fight juvenile delinquency and counteract negative behavior in youth. It also allegedly organized college fairs to prepare students the entrance to college. The IRS revoked the United Coalition Association's nonprofit status in 2019 due to not filing three years in a row. In 2008, Savage was elected to the
New York State Democratic Committee The New York State Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, and it has an office in Albany, New York, Albany.
with the help of former NYS Assemblyman Peter M Rivera. Savage was honored by the
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
with an award in recognition of his devotion and commitment and uplifting youth in the community. Ronald Savage is also the founder of the New York State College Fair Day. He also created a DVD called ''The Plan'' which provides information about entrance to college. In 2011 Savage marched with
Occupy Wall Street Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a left-wing populist movement against economic inequality, capitalism, corporate greed, big finance, and the influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial ...
protesters in New York. "We just drew up a resolution to raise taxes on the rich," he said. "I hope it makes it to the floor. The mayor and the governor need to be more egalitarian toward the poor and the working class. This protest and protests from around the world show strength in numbers. It's global. The people are tired," he said. In 2011, Bronx borough president Rubén Díaz Jr. did not reappoint Savage, then a New York State Democratic Committeeman for the 76th Assembly District, to local
Bronx Community Board 9 Bronx Community Board 9 is a local government unit of the city of New York, encompassing the neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Parkchester, Soundview, Harding Park, Bronx River, Clason Point and Unionport. It is delimited by Westchester Creek to ...
in the Soundview area of the Bronx, due to the fact that Savage helped Charlie Ramos (a candidate for senate) in the 2011 September primary elections against Ruben Diaz Jr's father, New York state Sen.
Rubén Díaz Sr. Rubén Díaz Sr (born April 22, 1943) is a Puerto Rican citizenship, Puerto Rican politician from New York City and an ordained Pentecostalism, Pentecostal minister. He represented the New York City's 18th City Council district, 18th district ...
Later that year, Savage participated in legislative hearings in Albany organized by Assemblywoman
Margaret Markey Margaret M. Markey (born November 4, 1941) is an American politician who formerly represented District 30 in the New York State Assembly, which is made up of Maspeth and Woodside, as well as portions of Middle Village, Astoria, Sunnyside and ...
sponsoring the Child Victims Act, which was drafted to eliminate
statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...
laws in New York State concerning child molestation allegations and allow a one-year window for alleged victims of past abuse to file a civil lawsuit. Among the people who spoke at the hearings was Queens native Ana Wagner, who was inspired to drive to the hearings and relate her own account after seeing Savage's photo on the front page of the ''New York Daily News'' while buying a lottery ticket at a 7-Eleven in Long Island. The bill was passed in 2019. Savage was featured on the 2016 single "Don't Close Your Eyes" produced by Jonathan Hay, where he spoke over Bambaataa's song "
Planet Rock Planet Rock may refer to: * "Planet Rock" (song), a 1982 song by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force ** '' Planet Rock: The Album'', a 1986 album containing the song * Planet Rock (radio station) Planet Rock is a British digital radio sta ...
" which was replayed in the track. Savage speaks out about child molestation and issues a very bold challenge to the President of the United States, stating, "Children are being molested every day. I was molested by a world Hip-Hop icon," states Savage. "My question is to the President of the United States of America: what are you going to do about the child molestation crisis of America?”. In 2016, Savage also stated in an interview in London, "I don't recognize the term hip hop culture because that is a term Bambaataa coined and I don't know what his intention was when he coined the term, but what I do recognize is hip hop and I salute the rebirth of the hip hop movement". He went back on his assertions in 2022 and reunited with Bambaataa in 2024.


Discography

* 2018 – "Hip Hop Movement Anthem" * 2019 – "Keep Goin" * 2020 – "Lets Go" * 2021 – "No Cappin" * 2021 – "Snacks in the Night"


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savage, Ronald American hip-hop musicians American political artists 1965 births Date of birth missing (living people) Living people People with epilepsy