Sexual allegations against R&B artist make major dilemma for fans
Imagine unwinding at the end of a lovely summer day, sipping on some Coke and rum while listening to R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix).” This would’ve been nothing out of the ordinary a few years ago, but now, some people might consider it to be politically incorrect to listen to R. Kelly’s music due to allegations over multiple counts of sexual misconduct.
By now, we are all familiar with the many sexual assault allegations against various celebrities that have been exposed by the #MeToo movement over the past year. There is no doubt that the alleged deeds are horrid — if these actions were done by an average Joe who doesn’t have any celebrity status, maybe we would’ve taken the misdoings at face value. But what makes R. Kelly’s case complex is that we don’t know whether we should love the guy for the talented musician that he is, or if we should shut our eyes on everything, let justice kick in and prosecute him the same way we do with any criminal.
After recent news regarding R. Kelly’s alleged sex “cult” involving underage women came out, some jumped to conclusions right away and blamed R. Kelly for everything he had or hadn’t done. As an R. Kelly fan though, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t have mixed feelings when the allegations came out.All bias aside, let’s not kid ourselves — the R&B music we listen to today owes a lot to R. Kelly’s efforts in the 90s. But is that merely enough for us to act oblivious to the horrible aura that is surrounding him regarding underage sex slaves? It’s usually easy for us, the fans, to separate an artist’s work from his personal views especially if we do not agree with them. In cases like that of R. Kelly’s, however, it is tough because there are victims involved that have been hurt and humaneness tends to dominate regardless of whose side you’re on.
There also comes another aspect to consider — why did it take so long for the media to grab ahold of R. Kelly’s situation? It has been about a year ever since the first few statements about Hollywood sexual misconducts came out. It is a bit suspicious that people are just starting to demand that companies such as Spotify and Apple Music should boycott R. Kelly when it’s been public knowledge that R. Kelly has been fond of relationships with underage women for at least the past 20 years. From his marriage to the 15-year-old Aaliyah in the 90s (which was later annulled) to his released sex tape which showed him peeing on an underage girl, evidence on R. Kelly’s sexual misconducts has always been out there. What is perplexing is how come the media has decided to target R. Kelly now, when it has been more than 10 years since everything has simmered down.
Hate him or love him, R. Kelly is still out there, maintaining his cool while all of this is going down. But will he ever be freed from being trapped in the closet? Hopefully we will find out soon.
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