Video has emerged of R Kelly telling a room of male supporters that attempts to suppress his influence following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct are “too late”.
In the clip, Kelly appears to reference the #MuteRKelly campaign, which is putting pressure on the music industry to stop supporting the R&B singer. Streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music have removed his songs from their curated editorial playlists (although the streaming services still carry his songs in their libraries).
“They should have did this shit 30 years ago,” Kelly said while smoking a cigar and holding a glass. “I’ve got a million motherfuckers hating me, and 40 billion motherfuckers loving me,” he said, to appreciative sounds from the room.
So, remember that I told you about that random Antoine Walker FB Live video with R. Kelly last night? Well, here is partially slurring Kels proposing a toast declaring “it’s too late” to #MuteRKelly pic.twitter.com/a45z7EDis2
— Exavier Pope (@exavierpope) May 18, 2018
The available footage of Kelly’s speech concludes with him proposing “a toast to all the strong motherfuckers in here right now. Motherfuckers like you is why I still continue to do, because I have a basketball mentality. As long as I got the ball, the world is on defence.”
The video first appeared on Facebook Live on 18 May, Spin magazine reports. The full clip appears to have been removed from Facebook.
(August 31, 1994) Marries underage singer Aaliyah
Then 27, Kelly married protegée Aaliyah, then 15, in an illegal ceremony in Cook County, Chicago.
(February 3, 2002) Video emerges appearing to show Kelly urinating on minor
A sex tape passed to Chicago Sun Times journalist Jim DeRogatis appears to show Kelly urinating on and having sex with an underage girl, which Kelly denies.
(June 5, 2002) Indicted on 21 counts of child pornography
Officers recovered 12 images that allegedly depicted Kelly having sex with an underage girl. The charges are dropped in March 2004.
(June 13, 2007) Kelly cleared of 14 counts of child pornography
A Chicago jury found that the identity of the girl depicted in the urination video was not conclusive, acquitting Kelly of the charges.
(July 17, 2017) BuzzFeed reports that Kelly is holding women in a sex 'cult'
Three former members of Kelly's circle claimed Kelly was holding six women in properties in Chicago and Atlanta, controlling every aspect of their lives. Kelly denied the claims.
(August 22, 2017) Woman accuses Kelly of underage sex and physical abuse
Jerhonda Pace told Rolling Stone that she lost her virginity to Kelly age 16, and that she ended the relationship after he allegedly slapped, choked and spat on her.
(March 28, 2018) Accused of grooming 14-year-old as 'sex pet'
In a BBC3 documentary, former girlfriend Kitti Jones alleged that Kelly groomed an underage girl as well as her and other young women. Kelly refused to comment.
(April 17, 2018) Accused of 'intentionally' infecting women with STD
An unnamed woman told Dallas police that Kelly had given her an STD and attempted to recruit her into his alleged sex "cult" after the pair initiated a sexual relationship when she was 19. Kelly "categorically" denied all allegations.
(April 20, 2018) Kelly's lawyer, assistant and publicist quit
Kelly's spokesperson Trevian Kutti, entertainment lawyer Linda Mensch and assistant Diana Copeland confirmed they were no longer working with the singer.
(April 30, 2018) Time's Up's Women of Color branch support #MuteRKelly movement
The group published an open letter in support of the campaign to suppress Kelly's work. Kelly described the campaign as the "attempted lynching of a black man".
(May 4, 2018) Four more women accuse Kelly of abuse
The allegations included abusive relationships, brainwashing, forced sex, infection and pressure to have abortions.
(May 10, 2018) Spotify removes Kelly's music from editorial playlists
The streaming service announced that it would remove all of Kelly's music from its editorial playlists. Apple Music and Pandora followed suit. Kelly's music is still on the platforms.
(May 23, 2018) Kelly responds to #MuteRKelly: 'It's too late'
Video from a private event depicts Kelly apparently describing attempts to suppress his music as "too late".
Allegations that Kelly coerces women into having sex with him are growing in number. He faces a new lawsuit from Faith Rodgers, who alleges that the singer abused her “mentally, sexually and verbally”, filming her against her will in “deviant and compromising sexual contact”. She also alleges that the first time they had sex it was “non-permissive, painful and abusive”, and that he infected her with herpes without her knowledge.
Rodgers claims he locked her in rooms and cars to punish her “for failing to please [him] sexually and/or for perceived offences and violations of his prescribed code of conduct”. Her charges are in keeping with others made against Kelly recently, from women who allege that he held them against their will in a “cult”.
Kelly is yet to respond to these specific charges. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, most recently calling the string of allegations, and the subsequent backlash from the Time’s Up movement, “a greedy, conscious and malicious conspiracy to demean him, his family and the women with whom he spends his time”.
