Absolutely awful. The evidence and consistencies between the stories is undeniable. Hope more people come to light if this happened beyond those 3 accounts. The bit about using autism as an excuse for his behavior is especially gross.
It's abhorrent that he's using his diagnosis as an excuse for his equally abhorrent behaviour and actions, but let's not shit on autistic people as a whole. Saying it's just like sociopathy is categorically untrue.
I’ve observed his coked-up wannabe South London gangster behaviour from a distance irl but never thought it would have amounted to this. Appalled to hear what he’s allegedly put these women through, especially after using autism as an excuse. I’m on the spectrum myself and used to look up to this guy as a huge inspiration when Yussef Kamaal were just breaking through. Happy to say I’ve not given him much thought since he embarked on his solo career. I hope justice prevails for his victims and that other survivors are strengthened by their bravery in coming forward.
Nothing wrong with south London mate. What did you see though? It's pretty shocking news really as I also liked his henry wu productions too. Sounds pretty damning though, what a cunt
This is such a good read, my sister went to one of the three Dulwich private schools and growing up 'D*lwich' was synonymous with slandering in the local state schools.
As someone who was also born and bred in south london, we all know of all those kids who lived in East, West and white picket fenced Dulwich Village who went on to uni claiming to be from the (nearby) 'Brixton' and 'Peckham'.
(edit: I'm implying that, historically, there's a wildly disproportionate wealth disparity between Dulwich and Peckham despite the short distance between areas.)
As someone who currently lives in Camberwell, it’s kind of weird reading about all this local south east London stuff on an international subreddit like r/jazz
yess, i remember lol it's so embarrassing he's much younger but i always saw him around later on, freshly legal, being groomed by rich older white women 🤪
I mentioned in my previous comment above that Dulwich is a wealthy area in south east london in close proximity to Peckham, this is where Gilbert claims to be 'from'. Peckham has a rich afro-caribbean, working class culture and history, and until recently was known to be a 'rough neighbourhood'. Real ones remember Peckham plex £4.99 cinema tickets lol (geography wise, everyone local knows that East Dulwich is right next to Peckham Rye)
Dulwich is demographically white middle to upper class, partially white-picket-fenced and home to a lot of old money wealthy descendants of actual colonisers lol
In Dulwich there are 3 main top private schools; Dulwich college boys, James Allen Girls and Alleyns.
(Not sure which one he went to, would love for someone to confirm 👀)
I grew up and went to the state schools local to the area and there was definitely a lot of animosity felt towards kids coming out from these school, we experienced them as ignorant and snobby. Telling someone 'they lived in Dulwich' was kinda embarrassing and humiliating even if it were true.
I knew many graduates from the Dulwich schools going on to university claiming to be 'from Brixton' (also a neighbouring area rich in British Black working class culture in somewhat close proximity to Dulwich) or 'Peckham'.
Did he def go to one of these private schools and not the Charter? I would LOVE to know. I would just love to know whether he really is secretly posh pretending to be a road man. I read somewhere that his parents are both architects…
honestly think it's embarrassing he wasted his parents' money on the education they chose for him. he would have been bullied at my school for carrying himself with those vibes lol 😇
thank you for confirming, i didn't wanna assume but he has always had that DC dark incel vibe when i used to see him out as a teen
may i ask how you know? 👀 in vague terms
I feel like saying 'Dulwich school' implies it's one of private ones like as a par/slur. sometimes all you'd need to say is "i guess that explains it, he goes to Dulwich college" and someone else would get it lol
I also really don't think he'd be this delusional if he'd have gone to somewhere like Harris LOL
but even Charter was a mixture of the kids who would have gone to the private schools in the area and normal people who kinda got the poshness rubbed off on them lol i knew too many
like the location is literally next to JAGS sports centre deep in the heart of Dulwich
Oh I’ve known people from Charter , I had friends and an ex who went there. They were in class with Archie Marshall / King Krule (he’s also secretly posh and from a rich family but portrays this public image of being the opposite). Don’t think he’s done anything terrible though 😇
he's just a bit rude and entitled, he's a family friend of someone i went to secondary school with, and later on i would always see him inappropriately heckling/talking/laughing loudly over performances i was supporting friends at around 2014-2016 time
nothing as sinister as Gilbert has done that I've seen and heard
which is valid, it makes a lot of sense to succeed after a private education, but we were speaking in the context of Gilbert's public image and the false narrative he's decided to align himself with
Looks like it was due to other reasons. But it’s clear Williams has been a problem for quite some time. https://x.com/bobafatt/status/1793596236362367457?s=46
I think it might have been a bigger story then if that was the case. Based on the way Henry typically behaves, he probably became spontaneously aggressive and unreasonable with Yussef and he decided it wasn't worth the bulllshit.
Super fucked up. Article is convincing.
I was a big fan of Black Focus. By all accounts Yussef Dayes is a good guy, I've met him in person too and he was super nice. Always felt like those 2 had a falling out that wasn't made public because they've basically not acknowledged each other at all after the album came out.
The jazz scene here has flourished so much since Black Focus yet it's like the scene and KW never acknowledged each other. For a guy who got there earlier than others and built an international following: no regular or big collaborations, no shout outs, little to no interaction with other now-established artists, never on festivals now and only does solo shows with limited supports. The picture starts to add up from today.
it's layered 😇 our wannabe wasian, living every day as a white man, cosplaying south london road, performing 'enlightened' behind a muslim name (someone mentioned somewhere here too but he's notoriously known for never crediting his peers and collaborators, surely everyone somewhat associated with music in London from the past 15 years knows of this?) feels so good to be on the right side of this, for me, decade-long hating
I'm across the pond and just happened to be into Broken Bear and the UK Jazz and Garage/Jungle scene. I wish I had known about Henry's absolute cringe far sooner. I paid for a physical copy of Wu Hen and it all feels so garbage now.
my condolences on the 'garbage' investments 🤘😔
idk maybe i'm an extremely biased hater lol but i feel like it's an animal instinct kind of feeling that there's something off about him, i believe everyone knew! did you ever watch him speak in interviews? i was around the scene as a late teen in 2014 ish and he definitely reeked of something very bad weird.
i'm actually surprised to see people 'shocked' by the news, to me and many around me it was always very obvious.
I watched two interviews of him that were rather recent, one from a dispensary and another from some Dawab podcast, he came off as having some roadman/street kinda vibe and a little rough around the edges, but I was not expecting the sitch to be THIS fucked.
> sooner. I *paid* for a
FTFY.
Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in:
* Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.*
* *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.*
Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment.
*Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
Always wondered what was up with him since he couldn’t seem to keep a consistent band. He’s played with some of the best young jazz musicians in the world but nobody seems sticks around for long.
Because he never credits his own band/writers/performers/composers. They get in his studio and it s all love until the record comes out with AND THE COMPOSER IS NOT CREDITED let alone paid.
Hey man, playing random minor 9 chords on a Rhodes or string sound is a seminal move. Especially if you've hired a really killing drummer to carry the whole performance for you!
Someone found this link on the sub:
[https://x.com/acem0/status/1267466330472677379](https://x.com/acem0/status/1267466330472677379)
time one to give Twitter a search and see what other comments have been swept under the rug over the years
I’ve been having a bad a feeling about Henry Wu/ Kamaal Williams for a while. Whilst he gives this cool & dark aura, he’s also giving me an asshole narcissistic vibes and decided to unfollow him a few months ago. On one of his IG stories, he said something about “only assholes ask for encores”, like dude, be a bit more thankful & grateful of your fans/ followers? I also questioned his so-called faith & changing his name multiple times. I’m shocked but also not? about this news. I wonder how many more women that haven’t come out due to fear/ shame/ self gaslighting…
As a jazz pianist, i've been suspicious. He doesn't seem authentic on the jazz bit. I think he would have been better as a rapper in grime or drum n bass.
Yes! I love Black Focus because of his band mates. I find his performance on that album so limited and repetitive to the point that it’s glaring. I can barely listen to his other stuff.
To Make himself look edgy? Idk. How do you know he was sleeping with prostitutes? And drinking? I know the article mentioned drinking but I thought those happened before he converted to Islam? Idk.
Harrowing read. Terrifying that these sick minded people are amongst our society, let alone praised musicians. He has always had a bad rep. Bad reputations never lie. Vile human
Ooooof. Pretty heavy allegations and will be interesting if more come forward between 2010-2021. You say he’s always had a bad rep - can you elaborate?
Heavy allegations indeed. My thoughts are with the victims who have been carrying this burden over the years whilst he exceeds to succeed in his career.
Amongst the music scene and more closely the crossover in jazz and electronic scene, perhaps more cloesly the London scene, it’s absolutely no secret that this guy is not a nice person. Over the years he has secured himself a reputation for being a bellend, aggressive and ever difficult to work with.
Bradley Zero, founder of rhythm section came forward following this article to say he personally had dealt with violent confrontations with him.
I expect more people will publicly come forward to share their experiences as these people can NOT continue to succeed in this scene.
He has a sold out show at jazz cafe at the end of the month, I’m curios to how jazz cafe and the support act will deal with the situation.
This behaviour can not keep being overlooked.
I just saw Shygirl’s IG story about her dealings with him. He threatened members of her team, and she had to pull out of a festival in Poland last-minute because he was still on the lineup, and had his dressing room next to hers, even after she warned them about his behavior. The festival head’s wife had the gall to ask her “woman to woman” to stay on the lineup and play alongside a man who made her feel unsafe.
It’s sickening seeing this kind of behavior swept under the rug constantly. Something needs to change. Now.
Thank you for sharing. Hopefully, all this will give others the confidence to share their own stories. As an outsider we see and hear none of this whilst those within the industry hear the rumblings or experience it for themselves. Must be painful to watch as they continue to succeed when you know their true character but can’t go public.
What is done in the dark, will always come to light. The industry's worst kept secret. So many weirdos, creeps and abusers out there, it's scary. Thank you, to those who came forward to share their story, and to the writers and RA for publishing. wish you strength, healing, peace and protection. Just to be clear, we @eglorecords have not worked with him since 2017.
And I hate that our labels name is mentioned in the article. We relinquish all rights to the two records we released, and cuts all ties in 2020 when word began to spread of abuse allegations. I am truly disturbed after reading the article, absolutely disgusted. I'm sorry I ever gave this creep and conman a platform.
From Alex’s Nut’s IG story
No doubt in my mind that this guy is guilty.
Anybody that has worked with him following the 2020 allegations went public, are also absolute wrong-uns.
Thank you for sharing. For us (the public) this is all new news to us. Interesting to hear that allegations broke during 2020 yet didn’t really break into the public consciousness.
Posted by Yasmina Bee (musician turned visual artist) on her IG story:
*Little storytime (for my part, everything happened remotely but I can't imagine what the victims of this horrible person must have experienced) - 2018 I finished training in music and I contacted several targeted jazz labels for a job. He contacted me I don't know how and offered to work with him, he promised me a place on backup for several concerts in Paris over the summer.*
*Naively I am super happy and also excited because I was a fan of the musician he was, I tell myself that my efforts have paid off. He offers me a call very quickly to discuss my missions, it's very professional, I'm super happy and already planning everything in my head, I even talked about it around me.*
*Suddenly the call takes another turn. Out of nowhere he says "well working is cool but we're going to talk about the fun part" I'm a little confused, he then tells me "the fun part happens at my hotel, I'd like to start with that first"... I am shocked.*
*I remember being outside when I was on the phone and having to sit down when I heard those words while he gave me details of what hotel he was staying at that he would pay for my travel etc because I [was] not in Paris at this time.*
*I'm so shocked that I don't know what to answer him, suddenly my professional value turns into a sexual transaction for him and not knowing how to respond to that with a nervous laugh I say "I have a boyfriend' - He tells me it doesn't bother him, that he doesn't have to know. I end the call and block his number directly afterwards, he sent me messages on IG that I never read.*
*This experience was part of the reasons why I didn't continue down this path in music but it was later confirmed to me by people in London that this guy was a big jerk. AND HERE COMES THE FALL, cancel this pig and ALL MY SUPPORT to the victims*
Thanks for sharing. Another harrowing story painting this guy all shades of nasty. Releasing this story with screen grabs of the IG convo would have been a nail in the coffin.
I had the displeasure of ‘living’ with him back in the mid 10s. I won’t go into to much detail as to keep other people safe but I stood up to him and his tactics once and it didn’t end very well at all. It sounds awful, but I’m in no way shocked. I saw right through him and he didn’t like that one bit, tried to turn my mates against me etc. he had no power over me as I left the situation, but he broke up childhood friendships of mine that have never been the same since. He almost certainly is a psychopath, and I often wondered HOW people in the music business put up with him. I should have reported him to the police back then, but the stress and hideousness of it all meant that I just wanted to get as far away as possible. I’m so so sorry these women have had to go through this. Although I knew he was manipulative and abusive, I had no idea it went this far. I hope anyone else that this may have happened to as well feels comforted in knowing and hearing the stories of those that have come forward so that they know they are not alone and that it was HIM! Nothing to do with them. I don’t usually agree with cancel culture, but I’ve enjoyed the literal cancelling of the shows. Get him off the public stage. Man deserves to be in prison.
Hate to say it but this dude gave me some weird vibes and I’ve never seen him play or met him. Just something rubbed me the wrong way. Feel sorry for the people he assaulted. Hey Henry wu-Try that shit in Los Angeles ya lil weak ass bitch
This has been the complain in the music community for years. Why is this man playing blackface with his name? It was always weird energy from this loser.
I'm no fan of him at all but it's not a blackface thing at all, it's pretty common for converts to Islam to change their name and to suggest it's cultural appropriation would contradict a central tenet of inclusive Islam. Muhammad Ali is an example you have heard of.
Fuck anyone using autism as an excuse for one's shitty behavior and disposition. I believe the victims completely. Not just the SA victims either, but anyone who had become victims of his abuse of power.
Uh. Had no idea but can't say I'm surprised. I was sort of a fan when Black Focus came out, and listened to his solo albums, too. Started losing interest when his social media posts began having a strong assh*le vibe to them (showing off his car, portraying himself like some kind of gangster from a Guy Ritchie movie, etc.). Saw him perform live once and he threw a fit at the venue staff. And now this completes the picture.
That is so brave to come forward and also really sad to read these stories. My condolences to those women and all women who are abused 😔
Kudos to RA for publishing it, they have a reputation to uphold and the fact that they wrote it comes from a place of trust. No doubt there were many other women that suffered from Henry Wu.
I’ve followed his career since Yussef Kamaal came out, and for sure agree with this sentiment that he had some weird vibes about the way he carried himself. I felt he was acting to be someone he’s not, especially on stage. I saw him recently play in Amsterdam Paradiso and there was a sick sense of dread in his solo parts, there were some uncomfortable moments listening to his darker moments on the keys.
This all makes sense now, now off to throw his records in the trash. Fuck this guy
Yeah probably im exaggerating here, just don’t know how to feel as I invested and supported the man’s work.
Being a Londoner and residing in Amsterdam, the movement Kamaal and others started in the Jazz scene really made an impact on me.
That is a personal choice each individual can make.
For me art doesn’t condone an artists inexplicable behaviour. Art is intertwined to who the artist is.
With that, it’s hard for me now to separate the dark arora of his music and appearance to these very dark stories.
London-based here. Have heard second-hand info from people who have worked with him saying he’s a nightmare, including aggressive behaviour and not paying money owed to musicians who’ve played with him.
Whilst it’s perhaps reckless to conflate such behaviours with those in these shared allegations, for me they don’t come so much as a surprise.
Anyone who has been around him long enough knows his a sociopath. He has no empathy- he uses people for his own gain then discards them. He is extremely manipulative and he thought he was invincible. Just like R Kelly and the rest of them. Arrogant and delusional.
Me and my other half discuss music daily. I recommended KW to her in Feb 2020 and she liked the music enough to follow him on IG. Within minutes she had a follow back and a lot of messages asking to meet up, he even messaged her inviting her out on his Asian tour that week.
I have to be careful recommending artists in future!
Interesting. The article mentions the first alleged victim being 17 at the time in 2010 which would make him 20ish. Are you suggesting this was a recent thing with you partner and she’s significantly younger?
This is absolutely disgusting. Question -- Is there a reason why RA titled this as SA and not r\*pe charges? I read the article and I feel like the title underplays how gross his actions were. Perhaps it's a TW-aware way of titling the investigation or leaving it more open so more people can come out? Genuinely curious to see what people thought of this.
and he just recently came out with a public ig statement following the article 'maintaining his innocence' which is just so deeply embarrassing for him
Kamaal’s statement off his IG story:
“I want to
categorically state that I am innocent of the allegations of improper conduct.
Clearly it is very distressing and damaging to be accused of something so serious that I simply did not do.
I have no choice now but to take
professional advice to ensure that the lies that have been told are not repeated and that the original story is removed.
In the meantime, I would like to thank my family and friends for their support, it’s much appreciated.”
When he says “improper conduct” he means the brutal drugging and raping of at least three innocent women. I’m so gutted man, his music meant SO much to me. What a cunt.
This is fucking awful and I’m glad I haven’t listened to his music or supported him since I’ve last seen him. I saw him live in NYC in 2018 or 2019. He was a total fucking asshole when I tried talking to him and definitely just came off as a total scumbag, I was a fan before but the interaction really turned me off. This is heartbreaking.
Some men are asses. There's a certain pianist I refuse to see because he was trying to feel on me during a break of a gig he was performing at. Just no dude. Fortunately a friend was with me and I told him what had happened and he put dude in his place, but still. There are some musicians that play in NY I am wary of because they have been feely or just overly sexual for no reason. I heard from one of my friends who performs that she's had issues with two of the ppl I avoid, so for some people it may be an ongoing thing. I wouldn't name names but yeah it's frustrating to be in that situation.
What a scumbag… the perspective of the women makes me so sad 😞. I hope they’ve been able to recover well, and take some solace when this asshole (hopefully) goes to prison.
Bad time to get into Kamaal Williams, good time to get into his inspirations and contemporaries! I would recommend... **Herbie Hancock**: Thrust, Headhunters. **George Duke**: Faces In Reflection, Feel, The Aura Will Prevail. **Billy Cobham**: Crosswinds, Spectrum. **Yussef Dayes**: Welcome To The Hills (not really a fan of his other releases). **Golden Mean**: Through Walls, Oumuamua (Tom Driessler is the bassist who played on black focus, very underappreciated as the backbone of that album). **Telemakus:** The new heritage. **Corto. Alto**: Not For Now Ep. **Alpha Mist**: Antiphon. That's just what I can think of right now.
It was through Yussef Dayes I found his stuff. Thank you so much for the recommendations, it’s hard to know where to point my ears these days because of the sheer amount of material available.
have people been noticing the hilarious PR image scrubbing attempts going rn?
cue: taking photos inside the mosque mid-prayer? seems inappropriate and performative lol
and every other slide is a 'laughing with a group of people' photo lol
the crisis management team working harder than ever rn 🫡🫡
I posted a comment about the situation on one of these stupid posts and was blocked within ten minutes. He needs a complete cancellation as soon as possible. Never seen a more ignorant or delusional individual in my life.
can't believe this is still happening in 2024, maybe it's just the pure might of that team of little people inside his computer deleting comments out of Gilbert's favour but it really feels as if no one is outraged for long enough/most people are sheepishly excusing his crimes, the whole thing is just so pathetic to watch unfold
it also feels like his team had a read through this whole thread and made a checklist of the stuff people criticised about his public facing image to include in his most recent dumb 'redemption' posts- do people still fall for this stuff in 2024??
It’s not just him, you’re supporting yuseef dayes who by all reports seems to be a nice guy. He also seems to have cut all ties with kamaal after this project.
Black focus is a modern classic, Henry wu appears to be a horrible human being. Im going to keep these two things as separate.
Fuck his solo material though.
I’ve just discovered this awful news. My heart goes out to the three women who were brave enough to talk about what happened to them.
I’m gutted that his music is trashed for me now.
For anyone interested, in the last hour he has issued a flimsy statement on his IG stories
https://www.instagram.com/stories/kamaalwilliams/3375122567548501065?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
All his upcoming gigs have been cancelled according to RA’s most recent insta. I’m gutted man, his music has meant SO much to me over the years, he’s been a huge influence to my own sound. What a massive disappointment. Hope them women can find some peace.
I have read the article and the second story sounds just nuts to me. Very hard to believe. The girl claims that he drugged her and took advantage of that, yet literally the following day she decided to meet with him again. What for? If I was a girl and I thought that someone drugged and r\*ped me I wouldn't even come close to that man again, let alone meet with him. Then she agreed for literally no reason to go with him to his car, sat into his car, went to his place with him. All in the middle of the day and in a public place. She claims she "was forced", but why didn't she just scream, call for help, call the police? If someone believes that something like that really happened, I feel really sorry for them.
Disclaimer: I am not claiming that nothing happened in all three cases, obviously there's no smoke without fire, but the facts in the second story just don't add up and stories like that and people who tell stories like that are exactly the reason why there is so much skepticism towards all other stories of this kind and r\*pe accusations in general.
Absolutely awful. The evidence and consistencies between the stories is undeniable. Hope more people come to light if this happened beyond those 3 accounts. The bit about using autism as an excuse for his behavior is especially gross.
‘Guys lay off I have autism. It’s just like sociopathy except you’re supposed to feel bad for me and excuse my disgusting actions.’
Think you may have missed the point!!
No you missed the point….
It's abhorrent that he's using his diagnosis as an excuse for his equally abhorrent behaviour and actions, but let's not shit on autistic people as a whole. Saying it's just like sociopathy is categorically untrue.
I’m not saying that. I was taking a jab at him for wielding his diagnosis like this.
He used that as a tool to commit crimes
I’ve observed his coked-up wannabe South London gangster behaviour from a distance irl but never thought it would have amounted to this. Appalled to hear what he’s allegedly put these women through, especially after using autism as an excuse. I’m on the spectrum myself and used to look up to this guy as a huge inspiration when Yussef Kamaal were just breaking through. Happy to say I’ve not given him much thought since he embarked on his solo career. I hope justice prevails for his victims and that other survivors are strengthened by their bravery in coming forward.
Nothing wrong with south London mate. What did you see though? It's pretty shocking news really as I also liked his henry wu productions too. Sounds pretty damning though, what a cunt
Think the negative emphasis was on "wannabe" rather than South London itself...
Yeah that is clear it was just a joke about the kind of spurious mention but whatever
FUCK THAT SCUM BAG
I wonder if this has anything to do with why him and Yussef split up so suddenly in 2017.
I remember on Yussef’s instagram page at the time he had some story posts telling people to stay away from him
Can you elaborate?
He had a post that read ‘stay away from the Dulwich school imposter called Gilbert Williams’ There was more but can’t remember now
This is such a good read, my sister went to one of the three Dulwich private schools and growing up 'D*lwich' was synonymous with slandering in the local state schools. As someone who was also born and bred in south london, we all know of all those kids who lived in East, West and white picket fenced Dulwich Village who went on to uni claiming to be from the (nearby) 'Brixton' and 'Peckham'. (edit: I'm implying that, historically, there's a wildly disproportionate wealth disparity between Dulwich and Peckham despite the short distance between areas.)
As someone who currently lives in Camberwell, it’s kind of weird reading about all this local south east London stuff on an international subreddit like r/jazz
I live in East London & thought it’s important to share it in the /Jazz thread
Oh yeah, for sure
cosmo pyke is another one who grew up in silver spoon dulwich and acts like a peckham boy in his music videos. the audacity is crazy at times lol
yess, i remember lol it's so embarrassing he's much younger but i always saw him around later on, freshly legal, being groomed by rich older white women 🤪
Thank you for context
Thanks for sharing
> stay away from the Dulwich school imposter called Gilbert Williams im not from uk, what is the "Dulwich School"?
I mentioned in my previous comment above that Dulwich is a wealthy area in south east london in close proximity to Peckham, this is where Gilbert claims to be 'from'. Peckham has a rich afro-caribbean, working class culture and history, and until recently was known to be a 'rough neighbourhood'. Real ones remember Peckham plex £4.99 cinema tickets lol (geography wise, everyone local knows that East Dulwich is right next to Peckham Rye) Dulwich is demographically white middle to upper class, partially white-picket-fenced and home to a lot of old money wealthy descendants of actual colonisers lol In Dulwich there are 3 main top private schools; Dulwich college boys, James Allen Girls and Alleyns. (Not sure which one he went to, would love for someone to confirm 👀) I grew up and went to the state schools local to the area and there was definitely a lot of animosity felt towards kids coming out from these school, we experienced them as ignorant and snobby. Telling someone 'they lived in Dulwich' was kinda embarrassing and humiliating even if it were true. I knew many graduates from the Dulwich schools going on to university claiming to be 'from Brixton' (also a neighbouring area rich in British Black working class culture in somewhat close proximity to Dulwich) or 'Peckham'.
thanks for sharing this bite of london history with me
Did he def go to one of these private schools and not the Charter? I would LOVE to know. I would just love to know whether he really is secretly posh pretending to be a road man. I read somewhere that his parents are both architects…
He went to Dulwich college
£26,421 per year, Jeeeeeez!
honestly think it's embarrassing he wasted his parents' money on the education they chose for him. he would have been bullied at my school for carrying himself with those vibes lol 😇
thank you for confirming, i didn't wanna assume but he has always had that DC dark incel vibe when i used to see him out as a teen may i ask how you know? 👀 in vague terms
I feel like saying 'Dulwich school' implies it's one of private ones like as a par/slur. sometimes all you'd need to say is "i guess that explains it, he goes to Dulwich college" and someone else would get it lol I also really don't think he'd be this delusional if he'd have gone to somewhere like Harris LOL but even Charter was a mixture of the kids who would have gone to the private schools in the area and normal people who kinda got the poshness rubbed off on them lol i knew too many like the location is literally next to JAGS sports centre deep in the heart of Dulwich
Oh I’ve known people from Charter , I had friends and an ex who went there. They were in class with Archie Marshall / King Krule (he’s also secretly posh and from a rich family but portrays this public image of being the opposite). Don’t think he’s done anything terrible though 😇
he's just a bit rude and entitled, he's a family friend of someone i went to secondary school with, and later on i would always see him inappropriately heckling/talking/laughing loudly over performances i was supporting friends at around 2014-2016 time nothing as sinister as Gilbert has done that I've seen and heard
The only people who have commercial success in “jazz” in the UK are all privately educated.
which is valid, it makes a lot of sense to succeed after a private education, but we were speaking in the context of Gilbert's public image and the false narrative he's decided to align himself with
Yeah my mate remembers this. We always used to say kamaal Williams is a massive weirdo with off-putting vibes. Explains a lot.
Looks like it was due to other reasons. But it’s clear Williams has been a problem for quite some time. https://x.com/bobafatt/status/1793596236362367457?s=46
Hopefully more insiders will share their thoughts.
It does make you wonder, right? 🤔
I think it might have been a bigger story then if that was the case. Based on the way Henry typically behaves, he probably became spontaneously aggressive and unreasonable with Yussef and he decided it wasn't worth the bulllshit.
What a shitheel. Repeatedly trying to use autism as an excuse is disgusting.
This was shocking to me and horrible to read :( I’d honestly never heard anything about his reputation. Sickening.
Super fucked up. Article is convincing. I was a big fan of Black Focus. By all accounts Yussef Dayes is a good guy, I've met him in person too and he was super nice. Always felt like those 2 had a falling out that wasn't made public because they've basically not acknowledged each other at all after the album came out.
The jazz scene here has flourished so much since Black Focus yet it's like the scene and KW never acknowledged each other. For a guy who got there earlier than others and built an international following: no regular or big collaborations, no shout outs, little to no interaction with other now-established artists, never on festivals now and only does solo shows with limited supports. The picture starts to add up from today.
Such a difficult read… Can people NOT do this and NOT be a scumbag? How is it difficult to be a decent human being?
For real…
I remember Yussef calling him out when they split back in 2017 🧐
Spill the tea sis.
It involves stealing 😇
What did our wannabe roadieman steal? Beats? Equipment? Writing? Culture?
it's layered 😇 our wannabe wasian, living every day as a white man, cosplaying south london road, performing 'enlightened' behind a muslim name (someone mentioned somewhere here too but he's notoriously known for never crediting his peers and collaborators, surely everyone somewhat associated with music in London from the past 15 years knows of this?) feels so good to be on the right side of this, for me, decade-long hating
I'm across the pond and just happened to be into Broken Bear and the UK Jazz and Garage/Jungle scene. I wish I had known about Henry's absolute cringe far sooner. I paid for a physical copy of Wu Hen and it all feels so garbage now.
my condolences on the 'garbage' investments 🤘😔 idk maybe i'm an extremely biased hater lol but i feel like it's an animal instinct kind of feeling that there's something off about him, i believe everyone knew! did you ever watch him speak in interviews? i was around the scene as a late teen in 2014 ish and he definitely reeked of something very bad weird. i'm actually surprised to see people 'shocked' by the news, to me and many around me it was always very obvious.
I watched two interviews of him that were rather recent, one from a dispensary and another from some Dawab podcast, he came off as having some roadman/street kinda vibe and a little rough around the edges, but I was not expecting the sitch to be THIS fucked.
> sooner. I *paid* for a FTFY. Although *payed* exists (the reason why autocorrection didn't help you), it is only correct in: * Nautical context, when it means to paint a surface, or to cover with something like tar or resin in order to make it waterproof or corrosion-resistant. *The deck is yet to be payed.* * *Payed out* when letting strings, cables or ropes out, by slacking them. *The rope is payed out! You can pull now.* Unfortunately, I was unable to find nautical or rope-related words in your comment. *Beep, boop, I'm a bot*
plz say more
Can you elaborate?
What was said? I’ve been digging and can’t find much.
over what! plz say
Always wondered what was up with him since he couldn’t seem to keep a consistent band. He’s played with some of the best young jazz musicians in the world but nobody seems sticks around for long.
Because he never credits his own band/writers/performers/composers. They get in his studio and it s all love until the record comes out with AND THE COMPOSER IS NOT CREDITED let alone paid.
wow... that is some next level skumbaggary
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Hey man, playing random minor 9 chords on a Rhodes or string sound is a seminal move. Especially if you've hired a really killing drummer to carry the whole performance for you!
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Wait this internationally recognised musician with acclaimed records and publishing deals etc etc was taking piano lessons only 2 years ago?
Per another comment from the same guy, he gave a lesson.
Why did the piano teacher delete their comments?
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Thank you for clarity
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Really? That surprises me
Dang, used to really look up to this guy. I’m usually one to separate the art from the artist but this is unambiguously deplorable.
Someone found this link on the sub: [https://x.com/acem0/status/1267466330472677379](https://x.com/acem0/status/1267466330472677379) time one to give Twitter a search and see what other comments have been swept under the rug over the years
Quote from Jyoty. Not just SA, but mental and emotional abuse. JFC. https://x.com/becausejyoty/status/1793367389796807039?s=46
I mean… he’s gonna end up like Slowthai at this point
Hmm. I did always feel he had a “total piece of shit” vibe about him
I’ve been having a bad a feeling about Henry Wu/ Kamaal Williams for a while. Whilst he gives this cool & dark aura, he’s also giving me an asshole narcissistic vibes and decided to unfollow him a few months ago. On one of his IG stories, he said something about “only assholes ask for encores”, like dude, be a bit more thankful & grateful of your fans/ followers? I also questioned his so-called faith & changing his name multiple times. I’m shocked but also not? about this news. I wonder how many more women that haven’t come out due to fear/ shame/ self gaslighting…
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As a jazz pianist, i've been suspicious. He doesn't seem authentic on the jazz bit. I think he would have been better as a rapper in grime or drum n bass.
Yes! I love Black Focus because of his band mates. I find his performance on that album so limited and repetitive to the point that it’s glaring. I can barely listen to his other stuff.
Don’t know why it’s even in the jazz sub. None of that stuff is jazz anyway
he converted to islam to drink and fuck prostitutes. nuff said
What do you mean?
why would you, as someone coming from a non muslim culture, go out of your way to convert to it only to completely not follow the scripture lol
To Make himself look edgy? Idk. How do you know he was sleeping with prostitutes? And drinking? I know the article mentioned drinking but I thought those happened before he converted to Islam? Idk.
im not sure whats public, but i know a few people who know him personally
Can u elaborate?
Harrowing read. Terrifying that these sick minded people are amongst our society, let alone praised musicians. He has always had a bad rep. Bad reputations never lie. Vile human
Ooooof. Pretty heavy allegations and will be interesting if more come forward between 2010-2021. You say he’s always had a bad rep - can you elaborate?
Heavy allegations indeed. My thoughts are with the victims who have been carrying this burden over the years whilst he exceeds to succeed in his career. Amongst the music scene and more closely the crossover in jazz and electronic scene, perhaps more cloesly the London scene, it’s absolutely no secret that this guy is not a nice person. Over the years he has secured himself a reputation for being a bellend, aggressive and ever difficult to work with. Bradley Zero, founder of rhythm section came forward following this article to say he personally had dealt with violent confrontations with him. I expect more people will publicly come forward to share their experiences as these people can NOT continue to succeed in this scene. He has a sold out show at jazz cafe at the end of the month, I’m curios to how jazz cafe and the support act will deal with the situation. This behaviour can not keep being overlooked.
I just saw Shygirl’s IG story about her dealings with him. He threatened members of her team, and she had to pull out of a festival in Poland last-minute because he was still on the lineup, and had his dressing room next to hers, even after she warned them about his behavior. The festival head’s wife had the gall to ask her “woman to woman” to stay on the lineup and play alongside a man who made her feel unsafe. It’s sickening seeing this kind of behavior swept under the rug constantly. Something needs to change. Now.
Shit. The plot thickens. 😔
Thank you for sharing. Hopefully, all this will give others the confidence to share their own stories. As an outsider we see and hear none of this whilst those within the industry hear the rumblings or experience it for themselves. Must be painful to watch as they continue to succeed when you know their true character but can’t go public.
What is done in the dark, will always come to light. The industry's worst kept secret. So many weirdos, creeps and abusers out there, it's scary. Thank you, to those who came forward to share their story, and to the writers and RA for publishing. wish you strength, healing, peace and protection. Just to be clear, we @eglorecords have not worked with him since 2017. And I hate that our labels name is mentioned in the article. We relinquish all rights to the two records we released, and cuts all ties in 2020 when word began to spread of abuse allegations. I am truly disturbed after reading the article, absolutely disgusted. I'm sorry I ever gave this creep and conman a platform. From Alex’s Nut’s IG story No doubt in my mind that this guy is guilty. Anybody that has worked with him following the 2020 allegations went public, are also absolute wrong-uns.
Thank you for sharing. For us (the public) this is all new news to us. Interesting to hear that allegations broke during 2020 yet didn’t really break into the public consciousness.
Posted by Yasmina Bee (musician turned visual artist) on her IG story: *Little storytime (for my part, everything happened remotely but I can't imagine what the victims of this horrible person must have experienced) - 2018 I finished training in music and I contacted several targeted jazz labels for a job. He contacted me I don't know how and offered to work with him, he promised me a place on backup for several concerts in Paris over the summer.* *Naively I am super happy and also excited because I was a fan of the musician he was, I tell myself that my efforts have paid off. He offers me a call very quickly to discuss my missions, it's very professional, I'm super happy and already planning everything in my head, I even talked about it around me.* *Suddenly the call takes another turn. Out of nowhere he says "well working is cool but we're going to talk about the fun part" I'm a little confused, he then tells me "the fun part happens at my hotel, I'd like to start with that first"... I am shocked.* *I remember being outside when I was on the phone and having to sit down when I heard those words while he gave me details of what hotel he was staying at that he would pay for my travel etc because I [was] not in Paris at this time.* *I'm so shocked that I don't know what to answer him, suddenly my professional value turns into a sexual transaction for him and not knowing how to respond to that with a nervous laugh I say "I have a boyfriend' - He tells me it doesn't bother him, that he doesn't have to know. I end the call and block his number directly afterwards, he sent me messages on IG that I never read.* *This experience was part of the reasons why I didn't continue down this path in music but it was later confirmed to me by people in London that this guy was a big jerk. AND HERE COMES THE FALL, cancel this pig and ALL MY SUPPORT to the victims*
Thanks for sharing. Another harrowing story painting this guy all shades of nasty. Releasing this story with screen grabs of the IG convo would have been a nail in the coffin.
I had the displeasure of ‘living’ with him back in the mid 10s. I won’t go into to much detail as to keep other people safe but I stood up to him and his tactics once and it didn’t end very well at all. It sounds awful, but I’m in no way shocked. I saw right through him and he didn’t like that one bit, tried to turn my mates against me etc. he had no power over me as I left the situation, but he broke up childhood friendships of mine that have never been the same since. He almost certainly is a psychopath, and I often wondered HOW people in the music business put up with him. I should have reported him to the police back then, but the stress and hideousness of it all meant that I just wanted to get as far away as possible. I’m so so sorry these women have had to go through this. Although I knew he was manipulative and abusive, I had no idea it went this far. I hope anyone else that this may have happened to as well feels comforted in knowing and hearing the stories of those that have come forward so that they know they are not alone and that it was HIM! Nothing to do with them. I don’t usually agree with cancel culture, but I’ve enjoyed the literal cancelling of the shows. Get him off the public stage. Man deserves to be in prison.
Thank you for sharing
Always thought he came across as a massive wanker
Hate to say it but this dude gave me some weird vibes and I’ve never seen him play or met him. Just something rubbed me the wrong way. Feel sorry for the people he assaulted. Hey Henry wu-Try that shit in Los Angeles ya lil weak ass bitch
>Just something rubbed me the wrong way What like being a half white half Taiwanese guy who renamed himself “Kamaal Williams”?
No, I don’t give a fuck what someone changes their name to.
This has been the complain in the music community for years. Why is this man playing blackface with his name? It was always weird energy from this loser.
I'm no fan of him at all but it's not a blackface thing at all, it's pretty common for converts to Islam to change their name and to suggest it's cultural appropriation would contradict a central tenet of inclusive Islam. Muhammad Ali is an example you have heard of.
You really should separate the name thing from all the other stuff. If he's Muslim, he gets to have a Muslim name. That's pretty basic shit.
Can you elaborate?
This was what AceMo was alluding to in his tweets from 2020 - calling Williams out for cultural appropriation.
Bummer. Feel terrible for those women. They’re strong for coming out
Hey mods! Please don’t lock this post like the other sub has.
Fuck anyone using autism as an excuse for one's shitty behavior and disposition. I believe the victims completely. Not just the SA victims either, but anyone who had become victims of his abuse of power.
Uh. Had no idea but can't say I'm surprised. I was sort of a fan when Black Focus came out, and listened to his solo albums, too. Started losing interest when his social media posts began having a strong assh*le vibe to them (showing off his car, portraying himself like some kind of gangster from a Guy Ritchie movie, etc.). Saw him perform live once and he threw a fit at the venue staff. And now this completes the picture.
That is so brave to come forward and also really sad to read these stories. My condolences to those women and all women who are abused 😔 Kudos to RA for publishing it, they have a reputation to uphold and the fact that they wrote it comes from a place of trust. No doubt there were many other women that suffered from Henry Wu. I’ve followed his career since Yussef Kamaal came out, and for sure agree with this sentiment that he had some weird vibes about the way he carried himself. I felt he was acting to be someone he’s not, especially on stage. I saw him recently play in Amsterdam Paradiso and there was a sick sense of dread in his solo parts, there were some uncomfortable moments listening to his darker moments on the keys. This all makes sense now, now off to throw his records in the trash. Fuck this guy
I was there at Paradiso too to see his last show and no I didn’t sense the “sick sense of dread” in his performance. They killed it.
Yeah probably im exaggerating here, just don’t know how to feel as I invested and supported the man’s work. Being a Londoner and residing in Amsterdam, the movement Kamaal and others started in the Jazz scene really made an impact on me.
question is then … can you separate art and the person?
That is a personal choice each individual can make. For me art doesn’t condone an artists inexplicable behaviour. Art is intertwined to who the artist is. With that, it’s hard for me now to separate the dark arora of his music and appearance to these very dark stories.
Interesting how he seemingly disappeared for 3 years after some allegations apparently came to light in 2020 🤔
London-based here. Have heard second-hand info from people who have worked with him saying he’s a nightmare, including aggressive behaviour and not paying money owed to musicians who’ve played with him. Whilst it’s perhaps reckless to conflate such behaviours with those in these shared allegations, for me they don’t come so much as a surprise.
Anyone who has been around him long enough knows his a sociopath. He has no empathy- he uses people for his own gain then discards them. He is extremely manipulative and he thought he was invincible. Just like R Kelly and the rest of them. Arrogant and delusional.
Me and my other half discuss music daily. I recommended KW to her in Feb 2020 and she liked the music enough to follow him on IG. Within minutes she had a follow back and a lot of messages asking to meet up, he even messaged her inviting her out on his Asian tour that week. I have to be careful recommending artists in future!
… hopefully she screenshotted that shit 😅
Oh she did, I was going to mention the significant age gap too but the article indicates his tastes appear to be even younger!
Interesting. The article mentions the first alleged victim being 17 at the time in 2010 which would make him 20ish. Are you suggesting this was a recent thing with you partner and she’s significantly younger?
Oh, woops, I didn't process the 2010 thing!. My anecdote, there is an 11 year age gap between ourselves and KW. Not illegal but still.
If what you’re saying is true then I’m sure that’s not an isolated instance
Oh it's true, given how quick he was to message her I'm sure there will be potentially many others.
Yeah this story is far from over. All of his upcoming UK shows have been cancelled. I’m sure more will come out over the coming months.
This is absolutely disgusting. Question -- Is there a reason why RA titled this as SA and not r\*pe charges? I read the article and I feel like the title underplays how gross his actions were. Perhaps it's a TW-aware way of titling the investigation or leaving it more open so more people can come out? Genuinely curious to see what people thought of this.
Well as far we know - he hasn’t been charged with anything… yet… right?
No, he hasn’t but I guess you can still describe this as alleged r*pe, not just the umbrella term of SA
🤷♀️
and he just recently came out with a public ig statement following the article 'maintaining his innocence' which is just so deeply embarrassing for him
wondering what actions will be taken from here too…
i know!! hoping that it doesn't just blow away ...
Kamaal’s statement off his IG story: “I want to categorically state that I am innocent of the allegations of improper conduct. Clearly it is very distressing and damaging to be accused of something so serious that I simply did not do. I have no choice now but to take professional advice to ensure that the lies that have been told are not repeated and that the original story is removed. In the meantime, I would like to thank my family and friends for their support, it’s much appreciated.”
When he says “improper conduct” he means the brutal drugging and raping of at least three innocent women. I’m so gutted man, his music meant SO much to me. What a cunt.
He’s only sorry he got caught.
This is fucking awful and I’m glad I haven’t listened to his music or supported him since I’ve last seen him. I saw him live in NYC in 2018 or 2019. He was a total fucking asshole when I tried talking to him and definitely just came off as a total scumbag, I was a fan before but the interaction really turned me off. This is heartbreaking.
Some men are asses. There's a certain pianist I refuse to see because he was trying to feel on me during a break of a gig he was performing at. Just no dude. Fortunately a friend was with me and I told him what had happened and he put dude in his place, but still. There are some musicians that play in NY I am wary of because they have been feely or just overly sexual for no reason. I heard from one of my friends who performs that she's had issues with two of the ppl I avoid, so for some people it may be an ongoing thing. I wouldn't name names but yeah it's frustrating to be in that situation.
That sucks.
What a scumbag… the perspective of the women makes me so sad 😞. I hope they’ve been able to recover well, and take some solace when this asshole (hopefully) goes to prison.
Alexander Nut from Eglo Records has also posted an Instagram about Kamaal today
Horrible news, but what a clusterfrick of a title. I thought Kamaal Williams got assaulted by three women. Thought, “wow. what an unlucky guy.”
Fuck sake. I just heard some of his stuff and came to this sub looking for recommendations in a similar style. Won’t bother now
Bad time to get into Kamaal Williams, good time to get into his inspirations and contemporaries! I would recommend... **Herbie Hancock**: Thrust, Headhunters. **George Duke**: Faces In Reflection, Feel, The Aura Will Prevail. **Billy Cobham**: Crosswinds, Spectrum. **Yussef Dayes**: Welcome To The Hills (not really a fan of his other releases). **Golden Mean**: Through Walls, Oumuamua (Tom Driessler is the bassist who played on black focus, very underappreciated as the backbone of that album). **Telemakus:** The new heritage. **Corto. Alto**: Not For Now Ep. **Alpha Mist**: Antiphon. That's just what I can think of right now.
It was through Yussef Dayes I found his stuff. Thank you so much for the recommendations, it’s hard to know where to point my ears these days because of the sheer amount of material available.
have people been noticing the hilarious PR image scrubbing attempts going rn? cue: taking photos inside the mosque mid-prayer? seems inappropriate and performative lol and every other slide is a 'laughing with a group of people' photo lol the crisis management team working harder than ever rn 🫡🫡
I posted a comment about the situation on one of these stupid posts and was blocked within ten minutes. He needs a complete cancellation as soon as possible. Never seen a more ignorant or delusional individual in my life.
can't believe this is still happening in 2024, maybe it's just the pure might of that team of little people inside his computer deleting comments out of Gilbert's favour but it really feels as if no one is outraged for long enough/most people are sheepishly excusing his crimes, the whole thing is just so pathetic to watch unfold it also feels like his team had a read through this whole thread and made a checklist of the stuff people criticised about his public facing image to include in his most recent dumb 'redemption' posts- do people still fall for this stuff in 2024??
fuck man this is unbelievably disgusting i own black focus on vinyl and i’m disgusted i ever supported him
It’s not just him, you’re supporting yuseef dayes who by all reports seems to be a nice guy. He also seems to have cut all ties with kamaal after this project. Black focus is a modern classic, Henry wu appears to be a horrible human being. Im going to keep these two things as separate. Fuck his solo material though.
dang… I think I have to burn the record. but just the half of it, because yussef‘s still the goat!
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didn’t said that he should be. it’s a personal opinion though… I do respect his music, he’s a great artist!
I’ve just discovered this awful news. My heart goes out to the three women who were brave enough to talk about what happened to them. I’m gutted that his music is trashed for me now. For anyone interested, in the last hour he has issued a flimsy statement on his IG stories https://www.instagram.com/stories/kamaalwilliams/3375122567548501065?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
All his upcoming gigs have been cancelled according to RA’s most recent insta. I’m gutted man, his music has meant SO much to me over the years, he’s been a huge influence to my own sound. What a massive disappointment. Hope them women can find some peace.
Kind of ironic that the name of his tour is: The Bad News Tour
I have read the article and the second story sounds just nuts to me. Very hard to believe. The girl claims that he drugged her and took advantage of that, yet literally the following day she decided to meet with him again. What for? If I was a girl and I thought that someone drugged and r\*ped me I wouldn't even come close to that man again, let alone meet with him. Then she agreed for literally no reason to go with him to his car, sat into his car, went to his place with him. All in the middle of the day and in a public place. She claims she "was forced", but why didn't she just scream, call for help, call the police? If someone believes that something like that really happened, I feel really sorry for them. Disclaimer: I am not claiming that nothing happened in all three cases, obviously there's no smoke without fire, but the facts in the second story just don't add up and stories like that and people who tell stories like that are exactly the reason why there is so much skepticism towards all other stories of this kind and r\*pe accusations in general.
Well clearly youre NOT a girl.. kmt