R. Kelly Gives a Defiant Performance in Midst of North Carolina Protests and #MuteRKelly Campaign

I thought this dude was canceled. Suggested Reading Chicago’s Mayor Claps Back at Trump Deeming the City the Next ICE Target Black Folks Have a Strong Reaction to Trump Dropping the U.S. in the Middle of the Israel-Iran Conflict A Peek Inside Travis Hunter’s New Jacksonville Mansion Video will return here when scrolled back into…

I thought this dude was canceled.

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
AI Is the New Civil Rights Frontier: Loren Douglass on Wealth, Politics & Power
AI Is the New Civil Rights Frontier: Loren Douglass on Wealth, Politics & Power

Apparently not. And as a recent show in Greensboro, N.C., reveals, R. Kelly is still as nasty as he wanna be, with his fans there to support this accused child sexual predator and woman abuser.

The Associated Press reports that the singer told the crowd gathered for his concert Friday night that he had โ€œbeen through a lotโ€ in recent days.

As reported by The Root, that includes a vigorous social media campaign by scores of prominent black women under the hashtag #MuteRKelly, as well as the decision by music-streaming service Spotify to drop the 51-year-old R&B singer as part of its new โ€œHate Content & Hateful Conductโ€ policy. The #TimesUp Movement has reportedly taken on R. Kellyโ€™s case, too.

Although protesters demonstrated outside the venue against Kelly, who denies all accusations against him, Kelly reportedly thanked his supporters for continuing to โ€œfight for me.โ€

https://twitter.com/ShawndaChapmanB/status/994344224354177024

He also said that he was asked to perform a more โ€œlow keyโ€ set, but he did not take that advice, and continued to sing his sexually explicit songsโ€”sexual-misconduct allegations against him be damnedโ€”including rubbing a fanโ€™s smartphone between his legs and having another audience member wipe his face and crotch with a towel.

In response to his removal from Spotify, Kellyโ€™s management released the following statement:

R. Kelly never has been accused of hate, and the lyrics he writes express love and desire. Mr. Kelly for 30 years has sung songs about his love and passion for women. He is innocent of the false and hurtful accusations in the ongoing smear campaign against him, waged by enemies seeking a payoff. He never has been convicted of a crime, nor does he have any pending criminal charges against him.

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.