R. Kelly, the controversial R&B music legend known for club bangers like “Ignition (Remix)” and inspirational tune “I Believe I Can Fly,” is facing fresh scrutiny in light of the #MeToo movement.
Kelly, 51, who married the late pop princess Aaliyah when she was just 15, was found not guilty in an infamous child pornography case in 2008.
The “Step in the Name of Love” artist was accused of videotaping himself having sex with an underage girl. He was able to get away because the alleged victim said she was not the person on the tape.
After landing on top of the charts again in 2013 thanks to a collaboration with Lady Gaga (“Do What U Want”), Kelly had to deal with critics who labeled him a sexual deviant.
The father of three was recently accused of running a sex cult involving at least six women. People related to these women say that he is holding them against their will, but his lawyers and authorities have denied such claims.
A BBC documentary premiered in the past weeks and went viral because it featured a woman who had been involved with Kelly for a few years and she confirmed some of the allegations about him.
The documentary, R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes, pushed young rapper Vince Staples to blast him during an interview at Coachella. The moment was immediately compared to Hannibal Buress who had started the firestorm that led to Bill Cosby‘s fall from grace.
It was then reported that Linda Mensch, Kelly’s former entertainment attorney, his publicist Trevian Kutti, and Diana Copeland, his executive assistant for 10 years, resigned in the aftermath of the shocking documentary.
However, Mensch has denied that it was the case. The attorney said she and Kelly parted ways in February. Now, sources close to the embattled Chicago crooner tell us that disputes over money were behind the resignations — they had nothing to do with the sex abuse allegations.
Kelly is reportedly focused on rebuilding his team and has been busy recording new music although it is unclear in the current situation that his label RCA will rush to release something.
Monday, his daughter, Joann Kelly, born in 1998 and who goes by the artist name, Buku, was asked about the different allegations, and she failed to give him a ringing endorsement.