R’n’B singer R Kelly has been under fire over the past few months (and years really), but now he’s fighting back against the sexual misconduct allegations against him.
The singer released a 19-minute confessional song called I Admit where he addresses years of rumours about his private life and the headlines about them, says DRUM.
He starts each line with “I admit…” and then confesses to many things including being unfaithful, sleeping with his girlfriend’s best friend, having sexual relationships with his fans and going to strip clubs weekly.
R Kelly was trending on Twitter after I Admit was released.
I saw R. Kelly trending and figured he finally got arrested and I can't believe I'm still that naive
— Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) July 23, 2018
Fans of the singer cheered the song which also takes aim at many of his critics including John Legend, Wendy Williams and journalist Jim DeRogatis.
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So what exactly is R Kelly accused of?
The allegations against him date back all the way to 1994 when R Kelly was 27 years old and reportedly married his then 15-year-old protégé Aaliyah according to the Source. The marriage was quickly annulled as she was too young to consent to marry without her parent’s permission.
Reportedly, in 1995, Kelly began a relationship with Lizette Martinez who was underage at the time. In a new interview with Buzzfeed, Lizette says she met R Kelly at a mall when she was just 17 and that he initiated a sexual relationship with her while aware of her age. She also alleges physical and sexual abuse at his hands.
In 1996, Tiffany Hawkins filed a suit against Kelly as well as his record, publishing and management companies claiming personal injuries and emotional damage from an alleged sexual relationship she had with him that began when she was 15. The case was settled out of court.
In 2001, Tracy Sampson, a former Epic Records intern claimed that she also had a sexual relationship with Kelly, but the case was also settled out of court.
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In 2002, Kelly was indicted on child p*rnography charges after two videotapes of him allegedly having sex with two underaged girls emerges. The case went to trial in 2008 and he was acquittedafter the jury said they could not be positive of the girl’s identity or that she was underage.
Kelly has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, but in the age of #MeToo, the groundswell has seen many other accusations surface.
In 2017, a 24-year-old woman alleged she had a sexual relationship with Kelly when she was 16, but he denied the allegations and charges were never filed.
Then in July 2017, a Buzzfeed article written by Jim DeRogatis claimed that R Kelly was holding a group of women against their will as part of what some of their parents said was a “cult”. Kelly did not comment, but his attorney dismissed the allegations in an email to Buzzfeed. One of the women later publicly denied that she was being brainwashed by Kelly.
Then in May 2018, a 20-year-old woman filed a suit against the singer claiming he unlawfully gave her alcohol, assaulted her and gave her a STD. His representatives declined to comment.
What does he confess to in the song?
R Kelly claims to having been sexually abused by a family member until the age of 14. Talking about the shame of being a victim, he sings: "So scared to say something, so I just put the blame on me."
He also admits to dropping out of school, telling lies, drinking and smoking too much, not being able to read because of dyslexia and not owning his own music.
He admits to being involved with “both older and younger ladies,” but doesn’t see any issue with his actions as he then asks "But tell me how they call it paedophile because that sh*t is crazy."
The singer says that claims he “brainwashed” or “kidnapped” any women are “silly” and accuses a father of dropping off his daughter at a concert where Kelly met her.
"Don't push your daughter in my face and tell me that it's okay," he sings.
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A growing number of celebrities have made their voices heard and asked the entertainment industry to cut ties with the performer. A few of his concerts were cancelled in the past year and Spotify announced in May that it was removing his music from their playlists and algorithmic recommendations.
"Now I don't know what else to say except, I'm so falsely accused. Tell me how can you judge when you've never walked in my shoes," he sings lashing back at his critics.
"You may have your opinions, entitled to your opinions... but really am I supposed to go to jail or lose my career because of your opinion?
"Yeah, go ahead and stone me, point your finger at me, turn the world against me, but only God can mute me."
This last line seems to be a response to the #MuteRKelly movement that started online against the singer.
So it looks like the singer admits to not being perfect and various things trangressions with “younger and older” women, but he’s never going to admit to any of the sexual assault allegations against him.
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