R. Kelly has had his wish granted and has been released from solitary confinement and into the general population.
Many suspected that the R&B crooner was endangering himself with this decision due to his negative reputation at the moment, but that does not seem to be the case.
Far from it, Mr. Kelly is reportedly doing just fine in his Chicago jail and has been enjoying his celebrity status among other inmates.
On the other hand, the “I Believe I Can Fly” artist is not looking forward to the prospect of being incarcerated in New York.
It is no secret that his reputation varies from place to place, and he might indeed have to face more challenges in a NY prison, but it is not clear how his case is going to move forward at this point, so it is not guaranteed that he will go in that direction either.
Moreover, since Kelly is from Chicago, it might not be a total shocker that he is getting better treatment there.
For now, though, Kelly has reported that he has been able to mingle with the Chicago inmate population just fine, and some are even looking up to him as a legend in his own right.
Kelly’s music dominated the urban music scene for over 15 years, and his incorporation of street themes in his work might have made him popular with a particular portion of the prison population.
It is not clear if the “Ghetto Religion” singer will be able to hold on to that reputation for too long though, as his future incarceration might take him to less favorable environments that will judge him more harshly for his reputation as an alleged sexual predator.
That was the main reason some were worried about the disgraced songwriter when he wanted to leave solitary confinement in the first place, but it looks like he is in the right place so far.
Kelly’s girlfriends — Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary — will now be able to visit their man. However, he was denied conjugal visits.
The nature of the accusations against Kelly probably played a crucial part in the decision.
One person stated: “This is proof RKelly is delusional and mentally ill. He is charged with sex crimes but is asking for conjugal visits. REALLY, R. KELLY and his lawyers for not advising him better. 🤦🏽♀️”
Another commenter added: “The fact that this man still has girlfriends, to begin with just shows how insane our society has become. Anything for a bag, even if it means sleeping with a notorious predator. 😔”
Kelly’s trial in Chicago is expected to start in July.