#MuteRKelly
The name R. Kelly probably rings some bells in most households in the United States. The famous singer, songwriter, and record producer became exceptionally popular in the 1990’s and despite his continuous idolization, evidence of his awful and illegal treatment of women has been out for many years with little to no action taken.
From illegally marrying a minor, to holding multiple women hostage, and to getting 21 counts of child pornography, it’s insane to think that even after all this, he still has supporters and a successful career. Not enough attention was given to the numerous women who later came out and told the world of his unspeakable actions against them. For 20 years these African-American women had been accusing him and he was never stopped.
The Billboard website recently posted an article about Kelly’s many criminal actions:
“According to a Buzzfeed report, Kelly has been accused of holding women hostage as part of his abusive ‘cult.’ The story focuses on him housing six different women and controlling all aspects of their lives: ‘from what they eat, how they dress, when they bathe, when they sleep, and how they engage in sexual encounters that he records.’”
Mackenzie Price, Heritage senior, has been keeping up to date with the news on Kelly’s developments on social media.
“I don’t think people are overreacting. He should be called out like this because this behavior is horrendous and he shouldn’t be let off the hook,” said Price.
Price talks about how surprised she is that Lady Gaga, who did a song with him in 2013, apologized on a Twitter post for ever working with him and says she will remove the song from iTunes and other music streaming apps.
Ausha Bolds, Heritage Senior, listened to Kelly with her family when she was younger.
“I think Kelly needs to be arrested and held accountable. It’s not good for people to think sexual abuse is okay in any caliber for anybody,” said Bolds.
On January 3,4, and 5, Lifetime aired “Surviving R. Kelly,” the 6-hour documentary about all of Kelly’s misconducts against multiple women.
Following this, on January 12, protestors stood outside Kelly’s studio with signs saying “mute R. Kelly.”
So what now? After escaping being found guilty by paying his victims to sign non-disclosure agreements, what will happen to Kelly? The world now knows about his crimes and it’s only a matter of time before he has to face the music.
