Low End Theory co-founder The Gaslamp Killer (GLK) was accused of raping two women last week. In the wake of the news, Low End Theory issued an official statement on Friday (October 13) announcing the pillars of the Low End Theory had parted ways with GLK.
Several music festivals, including the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, also canceled GLK’s appearances after learning about the seriousness of the allegations.
On Sunday (October 15), fellow co-founder Daddy Kev took some time to reflect on the situation and penned an eloquent statement on the tough decision to cut ties with someone he’s worked with for over a decade.
“In the past 72 hours, I have been faced with the most shocking and disturbing revelations in my professional life,” Kev wrote. “That one of the founders of Low End Theory, a man who I have spent countless hours working with, was facing allegations of rape. The very notion itself has shook me, and many in our community, to the core.”
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He continued, “When we came to the decision to part ways with Willie, it was not an easy one. There is no evidence I’ve seen or am aware of, that qualifies either side unequivocally, and I’m not sure if the proverbial truth will ever come to light. For the record, I am personally inclined to believe women in any instance of alleged abuse.”
As Kev’s statement came to a close, it’s clear he’s uncertain of the Low End Theory’s future and seemed to allude that this could possibly be the end of the Los Angeles club’s 11-year run. He added that his “humanity has been stripped raw.”
“Tomorrow I will be meeting up with Elvin [Estela] and Dave [D-Styles] to discuss the future of Low End Theory. My sincerest thanks to anyone and everyone that has supported our endeavors in the past. I’m not sure where we go from here.”
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Read the full statement above.
(The original version of this article was published on October 13, 2017 and can be found below.)
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Low End Theory regular and recent Run The Jewels tourmate The Gaslamp Killer is being accused of some heavy allegations. A Twitter user by the name of @chelseaelaynne posted a lengthy account accusing the Brainfeeder artist of rape. She claims that on July 5, 2013, GLK drugged her and a friend, RaeAn, after meeting them at The Standard Hotel in Los Angeles, and then proceeded to have non-consensual sex with both of them.
As a #gaslampkiller hashtag began to trend on Twitter late Thursday night (October 12), HipHopDX reached out to GLK (real name William Bensussen) who sent back a statement — the same one he later shared on his own social media — addressing the allegations.
With her accusation, the woman also posted a screenshot of GLK’s Twitter account, which appeared to have blocked her at some point. She also posted another photo of a direct message from GLK that was sent to RaeAn asking her to talk.
DX reached out to Chelsea, who asked DX to identify her by her first name only, and she said she was “shocked” that GLK would deny the alleged incident.
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“Honestly, this is so despicable and horrifying,” she told DX in a written statement. “This is very very true, something I have been tormented with for years. I will never forget the vivid brief memories of his gross body being on top of me as faded in and out of consciousness. I would like to point out that I was 20-years-old at a time. This was a man in his 30s preying on minors.
“I also just learned he had a girlfriend at the time,” she continues. “Why would I consensually sleep with this man I have never met before in the middle of the day? RaeAn and I were both drugged. It’s impossible to give consent when you have been drugged unknowingly and against your will. There is no grey area here. I will never forget his face standing there smiling with those two drinks. They were our first drinks of the day. I vaguely remember him leading us out of the hotel and back to his home. Everything went black around then. Nothing was consensual about this. There are so many layers to why this was wrong. He knows what he did.”
GLK’s suggestion that it was something the two women were “offering” seems to upset Chelsea the most.
“I am fucking shocked by this,” she writes. “This is disgusting…..RaeAn and I both have ZERO memory of making this ‘offer’ to him — we were drugged. This is horrifying. This is why women do not come forward with sexual abuse. You cannot give consent when you have been drugged. I can’t believe Rae and I just had to hear from him that we ‘offered’ this to him. I am disgusted.”
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DX also reached out to RaeAn for her reaction to the statement.
“I have seen the statement. I think it is disgusting and pathetic,” she wrote via email. “The only thing that is clear in his statement is that he’s admitting to the fact that he was there and that it happened. There was no “offer” and since Chelsea and I were incapacitated, obviously zero consent.”
The allegations have already started to impact GLK’s career. According to Brooklyn Vegan, the organizers behind the Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, where the Gaslamp Killer is scheduled to perform under the Low End Theory umbrella Friday night (October 13), have canceled that show.
“Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival has chosen to cancel the Low End Theory show. This is not the appropriate time to present these artists in light of the allegations that were made last night.
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We apologize to our venue partner, Paper Box. As an independent festival we appreciate our independent venue partners and are concerned by the issues a cancellation causes a small business. We encourage everyone to please continue to support this venue. Throughout the rest of the festival weekend we’ll remain focused on creating great energy and a safe environment for artists and fans alike. Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival endeavors to support music and fans mindfully.”
Currently, GLK isn’t facing any charges relating to the alleged incident. Chelsea told DX that she was unsure whether she would press charges.
