Articles
“Stories of R. Kelly’s predatory behavior date back to 1994 when he secretly—and illegally—wed songstress and protégé Aaliyah. (In 1995, VIBE magazine published a marriage certificate that falsified the budding singer’s age, listing her as 18, when in fact was only 15 years old.) The union was later annulled but rumors of Kelly’s predation of underage women continued to circulate. Though these headlines wouldn’t make national news yet, in the late ‘90s several Chicago-area women (Kelly is from Chicago), accused the celebrity of sexual coercion when they were minors. At least one of these cases was settled for $250,000. Then, at the height of his career in 2002, a video leaked of R. Kelly engaging in sex with teenage girls, and urinating on an apparent minor, presumed to be 14 years of age. Kelly was indicted with 21 counts of child pornography, and after a strategically delayed trial that stretched over eight years, the recording artist was cleared of all charges.
It would seem that such tangible evidence would convince his legions of fans and a jury of 12, tasked with serving justice, that Robert Sylvester Kelly was a sexual predator. It did not. R. Kelly’s acquittal concretized a message that Black girls are disposable. In July 2017, Buzzfeed reported that several women were part of a sex cult with Kelly at its helm. Since then, multiple women have come forward with harrowing accounts of sexual assault and violence at the hands of Kelly, all of which the artist vehemently denies.”
– Elle, R. Kelly’s Victims Were Ignored for 30 Years. It Has ‘Everything to Do With the Fact That They Are Black Women.’.
“In the ground-breaking documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly,” women are emerging from the shadows and uniting their voices to share their stories. Celebrated as one of the greatest R&B singers of all time, R. Kelly’s genre defining career and playboy lifestyle has been riddled with rumors of abuse, predatory behavior, and pedophilia. Despite damning evidence and multiple witnesses, to date, none of these accusations have seemingly affected him. For the first time ever, survivors and people from R. Kelly’s inner circle, are coming forward with new allegations about his sexual, mental, and physical abuse. They are now finally ready to share their full story and shed light on the secret life the public has never seen.
With over 50 interviews including civil rights activist Tarana Burke, musicians John Legend and Sparkle, talk-show host and former DJ Wendy Williams, ex-wife Andrea Kelly, ex-girlfriend Kitti Jones, brothers Carey and Bruce Kelly, and many others, the true story of R. Kelly’s controversial past will be revealed beginning in 1970 through present day, shedding light on the R&B star whose history of alleged abuse of underage African American girls has, until recently, been largely ignored by mainstream media.”
– MyLifeTime, Surviving R. Kelly.
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World News is a project by David Bernie that uses the medium of posters that promote issues and stories from around the world.
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