Who is Kamaal Williams? Several UK gigs canceled following assault allegations

British musician Kamaal Williams has found himself in the news after reports about him s**ually assaulting three women were published by Resident Advisor on May 22. A day after the publication (May 23), Williams' gigs in major UK cities like Bristol, Leeds, London, and Manchester were abruptly canceled without giving a reason.

Readers must note that Williams, a.k.a. Henry Wu, is a popular instrumentalist who creates music under the fused genres of hip-hop, EDM, R&B, and jazz. The 2016 studio album, Black Focus, co-created with drummer Yussef Dayes and released under the band name 'Yussef Kamal', was his official debut in the music industry.

Although the band disbanded a year later in 2017, Kamaal continued his career as a solo artist and released his solo album, The Return, in 2018. The London-born artist released two more solo projects, Wu Hen and Stings, under the Black Focus Records label in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

Kamaal Williams debuted with Black Focus in 2016 (Image via @kamaalwilliams / X)

Kamaal describes his music as fluid and often relies on on-stage improvisation, allowing fans to experience fresh and vibrant rhythms every time. Over the years, Kamaal has played a significant role in shaping the scene of jazz and electronic music in South London.

---

The cancellation of UK gigs and the timeline of assault allegations against Kamaal Williams

Kamaal is currently touring in the United Kingdom and was expected to perform at Leeds' Belgrave Music Hall on May 25. The 'now-cancelled-show' was part of a multi-city outing with stops at The Blues Kitchen in Manchester and the London Jazz Cafe. As mentioned earlier, all shows in the UK are now canceled, with no updates on a refund.

The Resident Advisor report that may have been the reason behind the cancellation claims Kamaal Williams s**ually assaulted the three women in 2010, 2021, and 2023. All three victims of the alleged assault shared similar experiences during an interview with Resident Advisor. However, one of them claimed to have been assaulted at the age of 17.

Renamed Kylie for privacy, the victim claimed to have repeatedly refused Willimas' s**ual advances before she was r**ed in November 2010. Hoping it could assist with future investigations against the accused, Kylie claimed to have reported the assault to the police in 2020.

The second victim, renamed Jenna, claimed to have been spiked with nitrous oxide after she rejected Williams' s**ual advances multiple times in August 2021. As per her claims, after spiking Jenna with the gas, Kamaal Williams proceeded to r**e her.

The third victim, renamed Sara, claimed she was s**ually assaulted in August 2023, despite telling Williams she was uncomfortable with the advances and didn't want to do it.

The three victims claim to have been assaulted by Kamaal Williams in 2010, 2021, and 2023 (Image via K. Williams / Bandcamp)

While Williams has yet to comment on the matter, a representative for the London-born artist has refuted the claims. Speaking for William, the representative commented that the "very serious allegations are untrue and emphatically denied by him and that he will be able to demonstrate the same."

---

There is no confirmation that any legal action will be taken against Kamaal Williams. The artist does not seem to have been confronted with any legal actions related to the alleged assaults in the past either.

While Kylie reported the assault to the police in 2020, she was caring for her child and supposedly didn't want to add extra stress to her family by taking Williams to court.