The date of the alleged assault overlaps with the Canadian rapper’s appearance at Festival d’été de Québec
The Canadian rapper K’naan has been charged with one count of sexual assault dating back to an alleged incident that occurred in July 2010, The Canadian Press reports.
The charges were filed in a Quebec City courthouse on Sept. 26. The assault is said to have occurred between July 16 and 17, 2010, according to an arrest warrant. Both dates overlap with the artists’ appearance at Festival d’été de Québec in Québec City.
According to CBC, the complaint against K’naan was first filed with police in Montreal in May 2022. The case ended up in Quebec City after police discovered that the assault allegedly occurred in a hotel room located within that jurisdiction.
The identity of the victim, who was 29 when the alleged assault occurred, has been kept private. K’naan, born Keinan Abdi Warsame, would have been 33 years old at the time.
The Brooklyn-based rapper wasn’t present at court at the time the case was presented. Radio-Canada reports that a request has been made by K’naan’s legal representation for his trial to be conducted in English. A date to review the case has been scheduled for April 2025.
Earlier this week, K’naan was presented with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award at the 34th Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada Awards. He was honored for his 2009 hit single “Wavin’ Flag,” which reached Number Two on Billboard‘s Canadian Hot 100 and was made the 2020 FIFA World Cup global anthem in 2010.
