Kool AD responds to sexual assault allegations by four women
Former Das Racist member Kool A.D. (real name Victor Vazquez) has responded to allegations of sexual assault by four women in a statement to Pitchfork. He confirmed each encounter but said he believed each one was consensual, writing, “It was never my intention to hurt anybody, but through ignorance, entitlement and ego, I now see that I have.” Each of the four women gave accounts of their experiences with Vazquez to Pitchfork as well (warning: some of the following details may be triggering).
One of the alleged victims, visual artist and musician Saba Moeel (who Vazquez married and had a child with in 2014), said, “Our first time was at his parents’ house, and I told him straight up, ‘We can hook up, but I don’t want to have sex tonight,’ and he said, ‘OK.’ He did it anyway, and I just froze, and he was like, ‘Oh it’s OK, just for a little bit.’” She also described an incident at a New Year’ party where Vazquez “basically made me give him head while I was super drunk and wanting to throw up and go to the bathroom.” Vazquez addressed both encounters in his email to Pitchfork, writing, “I remember that first sexual encounter to be consensual and she never mentioned the event to be otherwise to me until the end of our four-year marriage. Regarding the New Year’s Party, we were both intoxicated, but I was under the assumption at the time, and for several years after the fact, that the oral sex was consensual.”
He also said: “Despite everything, Saba is still the mother of my child so I am bound by my daughter’s blood to love her and care for her mental and physical health and safety. I have been working to better myself and will continue to do so, and similarly, I hope Saba finds the help she needs.”
Another alleged victim, Marta Martinez, who was close friends with Vazquez in college, described a night where Vazquez “woke me up multiple times throughout the night trying to make advances, and I kept telling him no. Finally he woke me up at like 6 or 6:30 in the morning. And I was feeling super pressured. I think my exact words were, ‘OK, fine.’ But then I immediately fell asleep. I was sleeping and I felt him inside of me. And I said, ‘What the fuck?’ I will never forget my first response.”
Martinez and Vazquez both confirmed to Pitchfork that Martinez later learned she was pregnant, and Vazquez paid for her to have an abortion and accompanied her home after the procedure. Vazquez said, “The night in question, I remember her to be awake but I admit I was intoxicated so my ability to discern that may have been impaired. I was surprised to hear her memory of those events weeks later which I heard through a mutual friend, but I don’t wish to deny her truth, after all we were both drinking and my memory of events is hazy.” Vazquez also added, “I would like to apologize again to Marta. It was never my intention to hurt her and I wish her peace and send her love.”
Another alleged victim, who wished to remain anonymous and asked to go by the name “Senn,” described an incident where Vazquez allegedly assaulted her after meeting her at a Kool A.D. show, and refused her requests for him to stop. Speaking about the situation, Vazquez said: “My memory of events differs from hers on a number of points, but I do not wish to deny her truth. I believe her pain to be real and I am sorry to have caused it. In retrospect I can see that I came over to her place making the wrong assumptions, I did not make a sufficient effort to understand her wants and needs, I let drugs, alcohol, ego, and lust cloud my empathy and awareness.”
The fourth alleged victim, Andie Flores, met Vazquez at SXSW 2012 and eventually ended up befriending Das Racist and helping them out with show booking, selling merch, and more. She described two separate incidents to Pitchfork where Vazquez penetrated her without her consent. Vazquez responded, “Regarding Andie, my memory of our relationship differs from hers in a number of ways but again, I do not wish to deny her truth and instead have been reflecting critically on my own behavior.”
Vazquez also provided Pitchfork with the following statement:
I know I still have a lot of unlearning to do regarding sex, ego, pride, and masculinity. I’m learning to recognize the toxic ideals of masculinity that I unthinkingly bought into. I compulsively sought validation through sex, selfishly unaware of the harm I was causing. I’m trying to be vigilant about consent, have more direct conversations, check myself and really be present and attentive to the wants and needs of the women in my life and not just in sexual relationships but in my relationships with all women. I’m trying to not prioritize my wants and needs over the wants and needs of others. I’m trying to be as open as possible and listen as much as possible and not try to inject my ego into every situation I find myself in. I am learning to confront myself now so that I may transform my toxic patterns for the sake of my daughter, my family and friends, my girlfriend, my community and myself. I want to utilize whatever is left of my marginal celebrity to help foster more healthy ideas of masculinity and challenge the expectations that arise from gender binaries. I don’t want to cause anyone any more pain. I don’t want to be a source of trauma. I want a clear mind and an open heart.
You can read more details about each of the four allegations here.
