Rapper K’naan has been charged with 2010 sexual assault in Quebec City.
The Somali-Canadian musician, born Keinan Abdi Warsame, 46 has been charged with one count of sexual assault from July 2010 in Quebec City. The victim, whose identity remains confidential, was 29 years old at the time of the reported assault.
Keinan Abdi Warsame
The arrest warrant claims that the assault occurred between July 16 and 17 in Quebec City, which coincides with a performance he gave at the Festival d’été de Québec (FEQ) in 2010. Mr. Keinan Abdi Warsame was not present at court.
Rapper K’naan is best known for his 2009 megahit ‘Wavin’ Flag’, when it was chosen as Coca-Cola’s promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, hosted by South Africa. This revised international version with additional lyrics, achieved a top ten position in over twenty various charts globally. K’naan stepped into the role of director with the premiere of his feature film Mother Mother at the Toronto International Film Festival more than two weeks ago. This week the Somali-Canadian musician was presented with the SOCAN Cultural Impact Award for his anthemic “Wavin’ Flag.”
Keinan Abdi Warsame, 46, was born in Mogadishu, Somalia. His name, Keynaan means “traveller” in the Somali language. As a 13 year old boy, K’naan and his mother, together with older brother Liban and younger sister Sagal, moved to the United States. The family lived in New York for six months, before moving to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where his family continues to live.