R&B singer R. Kelly has come under investigation in the state of Georgia following the release of the Lifetime documentary series called Surviving R. Kelly. The show, which instantly rose to popularity upon its release, details the abuse that accusers say R. Kelly inflicted upon various women over the years. For a long time, the rapper has been accused of various crimes against women, but has continued to avoid charges on most of it until now. Rumors about R. Kelly began to circulate back in 2002 when it was claimed there was a video of him urinating on an underage girl. Since then, Kelly has been accused multiple times of assault and imprisonment. Following the release of the documentary, Kelly stated that he would sue any person involved in the creation of the show and launched a Facebook page called Surviving Lies, which was quickly deleted, in order to defend himself.
Kelly was one of the largest performers of the early 2000s, with his song “Ignition” remaining popular still today. His career, however, was always full of rumors and accusations and has led to legal proceedings in the past where he was deemed innocent of any charges. This was back in 2002, when he was accused of child pornography, but deemed not guilty due to the prosecution not being able to prove the age of the girls in question. Since then, many members of the music industry have continued to boycott his work; notably John Legend, who also appeared in Surviving R. Kelly. This has not stopped other artists from associating with Kelly, and many considered his place in the music industry up until this point to be hypocritical due to the standards many other celebrities are held to these days.
The accusations in the documentary include sexual assault, imprisonment, and various other criminal charges. The severity of the claims and the evidence presented in the documentary have prompted law enforcement officials in Georgia to open an investigation into R. Kelly’s behavior. Kelly currently lives in the state, which is why they are the ones who have opened the investigation. Due to how quickly the issue rose to prominence the past few days, many celebrities and groups are joining on the boycott of Kelly and have begun speaking out against him.
Two radio stations in Dallas have decided to refuse to play any of the R&B singer’s music, stating that they could not continue to support him. Hip-hop star Chance the Rapper has also spoken out against Kelly, telling fans that making the song “Somewhere in Paradise” in 2015 with R. Kelly was a mistake.
The page called Surviving Lies on Facebook was started in order to prove that the claims made in the documentary were false. The page, however, was quickly deleted from Facebook for breaking their sitewide rules. Overall, the accusations against R. Kelly are finally catching up with him, and we may soon see charges brought against the singer.