Quebec City, QC — Rapper K’naan appeared in court last week to testify in a sexual assault case stemming from an alleged incident in 2010. The Grammy-winning artist flatly denied the accusations, telling the court that the alleged assault “never happened.”
According to court testimony, the alleged incident occurred in a hotel room following a Festival d’été de Québec performance. K’naan told the judge and jury:
“That never happened. There was not a single ambiguous moment about consent with her. It never happened.”
The complainant testified that the evening initially started positively, with K’naan holding her hand and escorting her backstage. Conflict arose when she requested protection, which she said led to an angry reaction from the rapper. Both parties agreed they slept that night, and that sexual activity occurred the following morning. The central disagreement is whether the encounter was consensual — K’naan maintains the woman initiated the sexual activity, while the complainant asserts it was non-consensual.
Additional evidence presented included emails and texts exchanged over the years. In 2015, the complainant sent K’naan a YouTube video about sexual consent, which he dismissed as “absurd,” claiming there was no consent issue. The woman filed a police complaint in May 2022, more than a decade after the alleged incident.
Testimony concluded this week, with closing arguments scheduled for April 1. If convicted, K’naan faces up to 10 years in prison.
K’naan, now 48, is best known for socially conscious Hip-Hop and his 2009 hit “Wavin’ Flag,” which became the official anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The judge will determine the outcome based on the credibility of the testimonies presented.
