Four more women accuse Kamaal Williams of sexual harassment
Reports against the South London electronic jazz musician first appeared in an investigation conducted by Resident Advisor in May
Content warning: This article contains information relating to sexual assault.
Four more women have come forward with accusations of sexual harassment against London electronic jazz musician Kamaal Williams as part of an ongoing investigation by Resident Advisor.
In an report carried out by journalist Annabel Ross, with additional reporting by Anu Shukla, published yesterday (2nd July), the four women — whose names have been changed to protect their identities — all allege that Kamaal Williams (aka Henry Wu, born Henry Williams) exploited the fact that they were fans of his music in order to take advantage of them. Yesterday's report follows an article published in May, in which three women detailed incidents of sexual assault that allegedly took place in 2010, 2021 and 2023.
One of the women, Dee*, was due to see Williams perform in LA late last year. She alleges that after sharing footage of the show on Instagram, she was contacted by the artist and met up with him. He reportedly pressured her into having sex without a condom. "I said, 'I don't want to have sex with you. You don't have condoms,'" she told Resident Advisor. She kept being assured that he was "clean".
Dee* later discovered she was pregnant. "After that, he tried to call me. He didn't even ask me what happened; how are you feeling; did you have an abortion?" Dee said that "the abortion was so painful—not only physically but emotionally. I was remembering the first day [we met up] how I was telling him [no] and I was just blaming myself because I couldn't protect myself," she told RA.
Another woman, Farah*, alleges that Williams assaulted her in a "single-person insulated booth for recording vocals" in his studio after she was invited there under the false impression of making music with him. According to RA, Farah alleges that Williams undid her jeans, put his hand inside her pants and started touching her as he began to masturbate. She said it all happened so fast that she didn't know how to react. "I didn't touch him, I didn't even look at him—I just froze completely, like a statue," she told RA.
According to RA, at least 18 others have come forward to the publication with allegations against Williams, ranging from inappropriate behaviour to sexual assault, though many did not wish to speak on the record. Read Resident Advisor’s full report here.
Williams has not yet responded to the new allegations made against him. However, in a statement responding to the initial investigation, a representative for Williams said that the "very serious allegations are untrue and emphatically denied by him and that he will be able to demonstrate the same."
Williams emerged on the South London jazz and electronic scenes in the early 2010s under the name Henry Wu, putting out releases on labels such as MCDE, Eglo and Rhythm Section. Following the allegations, Rhythm Section founder Bradley Zero shared in an Instagram story that both he and the label had “washed our hands” of the musician completely some years ago after a series of “violent confrontations”.
If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, the following organisations may be able to provide help and advice:
In the UK
Victim Support
Provides help and information for anyone who has been affected by a crime, including a violent or sexual assault, or is wary about involving the police.
Helpline: 0845 30 30 900 (Seven days a week)
Website: www.victimsupport.org
The Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre
Support and information for women and girls who have been raped or sexually abused, however long ago and whatever the circumstances.
Helpline: 0845 1221 331 (Seven days a week)
Website: www.rapecrisis.org.uk
In North America
RAINN
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization
The National Sexual Assault Hotline (24 hours, seven days a week):800.656.HOPE (4673), online.rainn.org, rainn.org/es
Website: https://www.rainn.org/
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) is the leading nonprofit in providing information and tools to prevent and respond to sexual violence.
Directory of organisations: https://www.nsvrc.org/organizations
Website: https://www.nsvrc.org/
