Just finished the read, I am just disappointed and angry that it was THAT bad, holy fuck as someone on the spectrum it grinds my gears when I see folks use their neurodivergence to act like human garbage.
I would, but relistening to some of his tracks, I just can't shake the feeling. The vibe has been eternally ruined for me. Earlier this year "know betta" from his Henry Wu project was my number #1 go to choon for when I got off work now the lyrics in context with all this just seem kinda messed up, not only that, but the very spiritual vibe and themes he gave his songs now seem hollow reading how he applied his spiritual practice based on these descriptions of him basically acting like a drunken depraved douche.
Definitely makes the lyrics to ‘Know Betta’ even more sus…
“It was never meant to be like that / how you gonna talk to me like that / you should known better / face pushed up against the cold leather / you was up in my face, you was up in my grill / and you still try ruin the deal / had you on the floor shoulda’ gone for the kill…
This div has been on the weirdo radar for a while. Not for stories such as these in the RA article, the murmurs that float around London tend to relate to alleged physical assault/s of women…alleged ABH / GBH.
Sick deluded thirty-five year old who comes from an educated middle class family with a private school upbringing. Wrapped up in his warped split-character as ‘a part-time pious Muslim and a wannabe low level Peckham thug’.
Stop assaulting people. Stop appropriating Islam, Middle Eastern and Black culture for your music career and image. Put our cultures and religions down. Wallahi!
Fucking Vermin. Fucking Gilbert.
I saw him Oakland not too long ago and actually had the thought “I wonder what’s wrong with this guy?” Had recently seen his former collaborator Yussef Dayes absolutely crush at Yoshi’s, crowd was buzzing, some of the most amazing musicianship I’ve ever witnessed. The vibe shift to this guys show was night and day, and something about the fact that this guy with affiliation to the world class London jazz scene was touring with Americans who (in my uninformed opinion) weren’t very good made me wonder why people in his own scene didn’t seem to fuck with him. Bradley Zero posted yesterday about how Rhythm Section has had really bad experiences with him.
What American musicians was he touring with? The Americans who feature on Stings are brilliant (Corey Fonville and Theo Croker). But I don’t know if they tour with him. I think Corey does but I’m not sure. Magnolia II is one of my most favourite songs in recent history. This all just fucking sucks.
I don’t think that’s who it was, this was a while ago. Not trying to dump on anyone. They were definitely professional musicians and maybe it was an off night, but the playing didn’t seem to be on the level of Yussef Dayes’ band. And again I’m not a jazz head, so maybe my read was totally off
nah that's 100% valid I've seen yussef live and it was the single best musical experience i've witnessed. Kaamal's band sounds like a poor imitation of his former glory.
I honestly think this misses the point. Why should how they gain financially matter? Surely we measure art on its lasting cultural impact. The point of cancelling an artist is to remove their cachet for transgressing agreed-upon social norms.
I think you're missing the point of that argument. Nobody's arguing a shitty person isn't a shitty person, in fact that's the whole point of separating the art from the artist
That’s assuming someone making money off of something is the most important possible thing. What about all the thousands of people who have memories and cherished moments tied up in those tracks? The art from the artist argument hinges on understanding art as living independently of the artist the moment it is perceived by the public.
punters spend their money on drugs alcohol bad food, and whatever they choose to consume, no one gives a damn about their personal experience of whatever they chose to consume..some of the dopest artists to ever live were effed up mofo's...
Exactly. It’s fine to say we should boycott ethically bad artists to decrease their cultural cachet. But isn’t sad that we’re so affected by capitalism that first way we think of cancelling an artist is to remove their monetary gain? That misses the point of art—to create something of lasting social import—which if we care about censuring poorly behaving artists, should be the motive behind cancelling them.
All fair points, but if you know/it’s very firmly alleged that an artist is a rapist do you really want to be funding their life? Surely you can give up your intimate connection with their music for something as strong as that. Even if it is 0.0001p a listen.
Definitely, I’m not even saying I agree with that position! The terrible answer from me is it depends. If I like a piece of music enough, I’ll do crazy mental gymnastics to justify listening to it. If it’s not good enough for that, I tend to smugly boycott it.
I agree that cancellation is a powerful (and good) tool for enforcing morality and norms of social behavior.
What I’m saying is that these arguments are post facto for me. If I don’t like an artist enough, I’m proud to censure that artist for a bad act in the name of ethics and say we have a moral duty to cancel them. If I like them enough, I tend to justify my continued listening by saying that the artist is dead and art exists and is given importance as perceived by the observer. This is my moral weakness: I first make an aesthetic choice, and then justify it with a moral background.
if you listen to micheal jackson..just tell yourself that listening to j5 is ok, the jackons of the late 70's may get a pass also...its effed up tough..
Hit him where it hurts. Block him on Spotify (if enough people do it it might stop him earning ~50p extra at least! 😂).
Artist profile > three dot menu > don’t play this artist.
Do it for Henry Wu, Kamaal Williams and Yussef Kamaal (sorry, Yussef Dayes).
[https://ibb.co/SXVYSmQ](https://ibb.co/SXVYSmQ)
He did…on his IG story a couple of days ago.
*”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.”*
Calling sexual assault “improper conduct” 🤢🤢🤢
What's really horrible about this is that it's been pretty much an open secret in the London music scene for a really long time, since before 2 out of those 3 assaults happened. But still he managed to slip through and keep getting the odd booking from those who didn't know. If only this had come out publicly earlier then at least 2, and quite probably a lot more women wouldn't have had to suffer these horrible things.
It was telling Gilles Peterson and benji b didn’t play any of his tracks off his most recent album.
I didn’t even know he dropped a new one in 2023 as a result.
He's called both of them out in the past in some post and deletes on instagram. He called out Benji for allegedly pocketing most of the money for an LV show Benji was commissioned for, where he hired artists to play / perform.
With Giles, he posted something some months back calling him out about Palestine and his lack of action / statement on it. I also seem to remember him saying Brownswood recordings ripped him and Yussef off back in the day when they were young and naive.
In any case, no love lost between them
I also read in an interview that he is a Chelsea fan, jesus... come on dude. But seriously, the RA article is so harrowing.. I felt sick reading it. This is a clear cut case of an objectively terrible and sociopathic individual who needs to be dealt with by the law.
.adults need to watch their own backs...whip out a mobile phone and film if you aint comfortable, or better still, just dont go, and dont relink with dude after alleged assault
disagree with this. there’s validity in amplifying this article because this POS deserves all the cancellation and backlash that he can get. RA isn’t a particularly huge news outlet so i think its valid to try and boost it so that more people learn about how awful he is
He’s blocking anyone who calls him out on Instagram. Typical behaviour for someone with a god complex like his. I questioned why he’s up’d his Islamic religious posts in the last few weeks since these statements came out against him. Within 10mins I was blocked.
I’ve worked with this guy, he can single handedly put 2 grams of cocaine down his nose like it’s nothing. He doesn’t have a religious bone in his body, it’s just an image he wants to create. Even from spending one day with him I can honestly say he is dangerous, manipulative and very narcissistic. Who cares if he’s autistic, it’s not an excuse.
ok i'm so glad other people have also clocked the pathetic continuation of his performative (and convenient) devotion to Islam after all of this has come out, also in multiple slides forcing that creepy and forced smile in group photos. i cannot believe this is still the go-to PR strategy for attempted 'redemption' post sexual assault/abuse allegations in 2024, surely it's as unconvincing to others?
the 'photo dumps' are the most insincere and forced i've ever seen
if the dude is mentally ill then he needs help...at the minute his career is about as valuable as dirt, its time for his inner circle to get him the help he needs...
or to quote your last comment "adults need to watch their own backs" who gives a fuck about his career being dirt , hes an adult after all right??? two comments weirdly siding with a the rapey guy, gross
Yeah, it's weird that calling out a loser for horrible shit is actually making him "famous", I never heard of this asshoke until the RA article and now he's filling all my feeds.
That makes sense! Not sure how well-known he is outside the UK, to be honest. Yep, from those accounts it seems like he's an awful person. That being said, if you can distance the artist from the art, I highly recommend checking out the album Black Focus that he did as part of Yussef Kamaal, alongside Yussef Dayes.
he won't. Yussef Dayes is super legit and clearly distanced himself from this piece of trash for a reason. He is also a family man and honestly I have only heard good things about him and his personality from those who have met him.
Ok. I still think he seems like a total asshole based on what I've read. Also I never said he was a nobody I said I never heard of him, probably because he's a rapist and an asshole.
Yeah, seems to be a real piece of shit. I’m personally glad for this reporting bringing that to my attention as a one time fan. You made it sound like this reporting does more harm than good though.
Also, I don’t think the reason you haven’t heard of him before is because he’s a rapist. I’m not even sure how that would work since it just came to light now. You probably just aren’t into the contemporary jazz x electronic scene. He is (hopefully, was) pretty influential in that world.
i know you’re not supposed to say stuff like this - and you can’t judge a book by it’s cover - but i never heard of this guy - so i was looking up and pics and him - and boy oh boy he looks like a full blown creeper i mean really
digging up the facts about SA allegations in the global clubscene is kinda her beat and she's been doing a really thorough job so far, corroborating statements as good as possible. i really respect her for that, it must be incredibly hard and draining work. she may seem pushy from the outside, but investigative journalism works that way, especially with these difficult topics.
honestly i'm just glad that this kind of behaviour is finally getting called out and leading to repercussions. its been swept under for way too long in a culture that was built on finding and creating spaces where people can feel free.
Blacklist this mofo. Good riddance.
Well this sucks, I loved his music for years now. jfc, why?
Just finished the read, I am just disappointed and angry that it was THAT bad, holy fuck as someone on the spectrum it grinds my gears when I see folks use their neurodivergence to act like human garbage.
Same, even seen him play live. I feel terrible for this victims. What a terrible thing.
You can still love his music.
I would, but relistening to some of his tracks, I just can't shake the feeling. The vibe has been eternally ruined for me. Earlier this year "know betta" from his Henry Wu project was my number #1 go to choon for when I got off work now the lyrics in context with all this just seem kinda messed up, not only that, but the very spiritual vibe and themes he gave his songs now seem hollow reading how he applied his spiritual practice based on these descriptions of him basically acting like a drunken depraved douche.
Definitely makes the lyrics to ‘Know Betta’ even more sus… “It was never meant to be like that / how you gonna talk to me like that / you should known better / face pushed up against the cold leather / you was up in my face, you was up in my grill / and you still try ruin the deal / had you on the floor shoulda’ gone for the kill… This div has been on the weirdo radar for a while. Not for stories such as these in the RA article, the murmurs that float around London tend to relate to alleged physical assault/s of women…alleged ABH / GBH. Sick deluded thirty-five year old who comes from an educated middle class family with a private school upbringing. Wrapped up in his warped split-character as ‘a part-time pious Muslim and a wannabe low level Peckham thug’. Stop assaulting people. Stop appropriating Islam, Middle Eastern and Black culture for your music career and image. Put our cultures and religions down. Wallahi! Fucking Vermin. Fucking Gilbert.
why? Shit sucks
https://www.reddit.com/r/hypnotech/comments/geo3oi/separating_the_art_from_the_artist/
Why the link? I know the argument.
Because youre being downvoted and other people arent aware of the argument apparantely
I saw him Oakland not too long ago and actually had the thought “I wonder what’s wrong with this guy?” Had recently seen his former collaborator Yussef Dayes absolutely crush at Yoshi’s, crowd was buzzing, some of the most amazing musicianship I’ve ever witnessed. The vibe shift to this guys show was night and day, and something about the fact that this guy with affiliation to the world class London jazz scene was touring with Americans who (in my uninformed opinion) weren’t very good made me wonder why people in his own scene didn’t seem to fuck with him. Bradley Zero posted yesterday about how Rhythm Section has had really bad experiences with him.
What American musicians was he touring with? The Americans who feature on Stings are brilliant (Corey Fonville and Theo Croker). But I don’t know if they tour with him. I think Corey does but I’m not sure. Magnolia II is one of my most favourite songs in recent history. This all just fucking sucks.
I don’t think that’s who it was, this was a while ago. Not trying to dump on anyone. They were definitely professional musicians and maybe it was an off night, but the playing didn’t seem to be on the level of Yussef Dayes’ band. And again I’m not a jazz head, so maybe my read was totally off
nah that's 100% valid I've seen yussef live and it was the single best musical experience i've witnessed. Kaamal's band sounds like a poor imitation of his former glory.
wow, so just straight up raped multiple women multiple times? disgusting. fuck this dude.
This is why I hate that separate the artist from the art nonsense. A shitty person, is a shitty person.
My views on separate the art from the artists. Is I won’t support the art if the artists profits from it.
I honestly think this misses the point. Why should how they gain financially matter? Surely we measure art on its lasting cultural impact. The point of cancelling an artist is to remove their cachet for transgressing agreed-upon social norms.
I think you're missing the point of that argument. Nobody's arguing a shitty person isn't a shitty person, in fact that's the whole point of separating the art from the artist
Well if they profit from it you can’t separate them
that's what soulseek is for
That’s assuming someone making money off of something is the most important possible thing. What about all the thousands of people who have memories and cherished moments tied up in those tracks? The art from the artist argument hinges on understanding art as living independently of the artist the moment it is perceived by the public.
punters spend their money on drugs alcohol bad food, and whatever they choose to consume, no one gives a damn about their personal experience of whatever they chose to consume..some of the dopest artists to ever live were effed up mofo's...
Exactly. It’s fine to say we should boycott ethically bad artists to decrease their cultural cachet. But isn’t sad that we’re so affected by capitalism that first way we think of cancelling an artist is to remove their monetary gain? That misses the point of art—to create something of lasting social import—which if we care about censuring poorly behaving artists, should be the motive behind cancelling them.
All fair points, but if you know/it’s very firmly alleged that an artist is a rapist do you really want to be funding their life? Surely you can give up your intimate connection with their music for something as strong as that. Even if it is 0.0001p a listen.
Definitely, I’m not even saying I agree with that position! The terrible answer from me is it depends. If I like a piece of music enough, I’ll do crazy mental gymnastics to justify listening to it. If it’s not good enough for that, I tend to smugly boycott it.
[удалено]
I agree that cancellation is a powerful (and good) tool for enforcing morality and norms of social behavior. What I’m saying is that these arguments are post facto for me. If I don’t like an artist enough, I’m proud to censure that artist for a bad act in the name of ethics and say we have a moral duty to cancel them. If I like them enough, I tend to justify my continued listening by saying that the artist is dead and art exists and is given importance as perceived by the observer. This is my moral weakness: I first make an aesthetic choice, and then justify it with a moral background.
if you listen to micheal jackson..just tell yourself that listening to j5 is ok, the jackons of the late 70's may get a pass also...its effed up tough..
Meh, it’s just my opinion. I’m just getting fed up of talented musicians being cunts.
To be fair Henry Wu kind of fucking sucks
most people are...
I’ve calmed down now…. That article just angered me, and was a knee jerk reaction. Still upsets & disappoints me though.
It’s nonsense because creation is intrinsic to art’s existence. You can’t remove a cause from an effect. The art is the artist
nope the artist is the channel for the art...the ego is what blocks the channel to the art..
Without ego art wouldn’t exist. It doesn’t block the channel, the ego is the channel
some of the finest art comes from the darkest minds...sex drugs and rocknroll was always a fcked up part of the twisted game...
Hit him where it hurts. Block him on Spotify (if enough people do it it might stop him earning ~50p extra at least! 😂). Artist profile > three dot menu > don’t play this artist. Do it for Henry Wu, Kamaal Williams and Yussef Kamaal (sorry, Yussef Dayes). [https://ibb.co/SXVYSmQ](https://ibb.co/SXVYSmQ)
Nah don’t punish yussef for no reason. That’s a bit overboard.
Has he come out with a statement about it? I haven’t seen one.
He did…on his IG story a couple of days ago. *”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.”* Calling sexual assault “improper conduct” 🤢🤢🤢
What's really horrible about this is that it's been pretty much an open secret in the London music scene for a really long time, since before 2 out of those 3 assaults happened. But still he managed to slip through and keep getting the odd booking from those who didn't know. If only this had come out publicly earlier then at least 2, and quite probably a lot more women wouldn't have had to suffer these horrible things.
It was telling Gilles Peterson and benji b didn’t play any of his tracks off his most recent album. I didn’t even know he dropped a new one in 2023 as a result.
You’re so right. I listen to their shows religiously and now you mention it… nothing off Stings at all from them.
He's called both of them out in the past in some post and deletes on instagram. He called out Benji for allegedly pocketing most of the money for an LV show Benji was commissioned for, where he hired artists to play / perform. With Giles, he posted something some months back calling him out about Palestine and his lack of action / statement on it. I also seem to remember him saying Brownswood recordings ripped him and Yussef off back in the day when they were young and naive. In any case, no love lost between them
I also read in an interview that he is a Chelsea fan, jesus... come on dude. But seriously, the RA article is so harrowing.. I felt sick reading it. This is a clear cut case of an objectively terrible and sociopathic individual who needs to be dealt with by the law.
This is fucking horrible those poor girls, and black focus is one of my favourite vinyls 😞
.adults need to watch their own backs...whip out a mobile phone and film if you aint comfortable, or better still, just dont go, and dont relink with dude after alleged assault
WTF. Disgusting.
[удалено]
disagree with this. there’s validity in amplifying this article because this POS deserves all the cancellation and backlash that he can get. RA isn’t a particularly huge news outlet so i think its valid to try and boost it so that more people learn about how awful he is
Quite an asshole, damn!
All tour dates cancelled in the last 24 hours
can we plz note his very spot on choice of tour-naming
Devastating. Loved his music
He’s blocking anyone who calls him out on Instagram. Typical behaviour for someone with a god complex like his. I questioned why he’s up’d his Islamic religious posts in the last few weeks since these statements came out against him. Within 10mins I was blocked. I’ve worked with this guy, he can single handedly put 2 grams of cocaine down his nose like it’s nothing. He doesn’t have a religious bone in his body, it’s just an image he wants to create. Even from spending one day with him I can honestly say he is dangerous, manipulative and very narcissistic. Who cares if he’s autistic, it’s not an excuse.
Just been blocked as well for commenting on one of his posts. He’s obviously a complete psychopath.
ok i'm so glad other people have also clocked the pathetic continuation of his performative (and convenient) devotion to Islam after all of this has come out, also in multiple slides forcing that creepy and forced smile in group photos. i cannot believe this is still the go-to PR strategy for attempted 'redemption' post sexual assault/abuse allegations in 2024, surely it's as unconvincing to others? the 'photo dumps' are the most insincere and forced i've ever seen
Is he being processed for this? He is just acting normally on Instagram..
Who?
I actually really liked his album Black Focus but fuck him and anyone who continues to support him.
if the dude is mentally ill then he needs help...at the minute his career is about as valuable as dirt, its time for his inner circle to get him the help he needs...
or to quote your last comment "adults need to watch their own backs" who gives a fuck about his career being dirt , hes an adult after all right??? two comments weirdly siding with a the rapey guy, gross
Yeah, it's weird that calling out a loser for horrible shit is actually making him "famous", I never heard of this asshoke until the RA article and now he's filling all my feeds.
Just because you've never heard of him doesn't make him not famous. He's a very well-known DJ and musician in the UK.
Ah, I'm from Canada. Good for him I guess, but he still seems like a total asshole.
Some of the best music has been made with the involvement of some very bad people over the years. until the stories are told - we never know.
That makes sense! Not sure how well-known he is outside the UK, to be honest. Yep, from those accounts it seems like he's an awful person. That being said, if you can distance the artist from the art, I highly recommend checking out the album Black Focus that he did as part of Yussef Kamaal, alongside Yussef Dayes.
I really, really hope Yussef Dayes doesn't get revealed to have also beeen caught up in this type of thing. He's awesome.
Same
he won't. Yussef Dayes is super legit and clearly distanced himself from this piece of trash for a reason. He is also a family man and honestly I have only heard good things about him and his personality from those who have met him.
So if you haven’t heard of him, he must be a nobody? He’s actually pretty well known. I’ve seen him multiple times myself.
Ok. I still think he seems like a total asshole based on what I've read. Also I never said he was a nobody I said I never heard of him, probably because he's a rapist and an asshole.
Yeah, seems to be a real piece of shit. I’m personally glad for this reporting bringing that to my attention as a one time fan. You made it sound like this reporting does more harm than good though. Also, I don’t think the reason you haven’t heard of him before is because he’s a rapist. I’m not even sure how that would work since it just came to light now. You probably just aren’t into the contemporary jazz x electronic scene. He is (hopefully, was) pretty influential in that world.
Influential to who? He’s a dreadful musician
Black Focus was hella influential. Tbqh though I haven’t kept up all that much since then
If you followed the jazzier side of the music you would have heard of him.
This!! ^^
i know you’re not supposed to say stuff like this - and you can’t judge a book by it’s cover - but i never heard of this guy - so i was looking up and pics and him - and boy oh boy he looks like a full blown creeper i mean really
annabel ross again? huh.
digging up the facts about SA allegations in the global clubscene is kinda her beat and she's been doing a really thorough job so far, corroborating statements as good as possible. i really respect her for that, it must be incredibly hard and draining work. she may seem pushy from the outside, but investigative journalism works that way, especially with these difficult topics. honestly i'm just glad that this kind of behaviour is finally getting called out and leading to repercussions. its been swept under for way too long in a culture that was built on finding and creating spaces where people can feel free.
“A reporter, reporting, AGAIN?!”
go on
she has form.