Is this the end of the road for the King of R&B?
Music and film industry in the US, just like anywhere else in the world, is viewed as an industry filled with glamour and unmatched grandeur.
The fame and fortune that comes with the gigs in the entertainment industry, is something that some people only dream of. But behind all that façade lies a hidden truth, one that has persisted, albeit in obscurity, for years.
Bringing the matter closer to home, we’ve in numerous occasions been availed to grievances from struggling artists who claim of exploitation and favouritism in the local music industry. Such artistes go to the extent of mentioning some big names in the bongo flava industry as perpetrators of professionally unethical sexual advances towards young artistes.
Such grievances however often fall on deaf ears. What people can’t see, they can’t relate to or empathise with – it’s the way the world works, seeing is believing, as the saying goes.
Now before I digress any further, let me get back to the boiling point, which in this case, is Hollywood.
Gloomy, sad, filled with anxiety, frustration, humiliation and a loss for words is what most of us now picture when we talk about Bill Cosby. In 2018 he saw his whole career that spans over half a century go down the drain after he was charged with sexual misconduct against women and was given a sentencing.
Someone who was considered a legend by many, had been living a double life, one was as the adored father-figure and family man in front of the camera, while the other was of a villain who preyed on innocent women. Finally, in his old age, his clock ran its course and justice was served.
Today, we are witnessing another icon against the ropes. An artiste who has amassed great admiration, accolades and respect, is being shredded to pieces as one victim after another presents her case in front of the media. He is an artiste who inspired many through his voice. Not just in the US, but globally.
Allegations against R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly, a.k.a R. Kelly, has fallen on hard times. The music legend who is credited for some of the best hits such as I believe I can fly, The World’s Greatest, Gotham City, Ignition, Trapped in the closet, and many more, has apparently been living a double life for years .
Even though there were multiple allegations against him of preying on young girls for sex, he somehow managed to overturn every court case. A case in point is when he was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography back in 2002, only to be acquitted of all charges in 2008.
But it looks like time has finally caught up with him. Even though it took years for his ills to gain traction, what we are witnessing today can be viewed as the beginning of the end for the 52-year-old American singer.
The rise of technology and new media have helped to bring R. Kelly’s case to prominence. The elaborate cases about his sexual misconduct with underage girls and forcing some women to have sex with him have only come to the global lime light in 2018, but have been part of the public record for years. Before drawing widespread public attention, newspapers in the US used to report allegations of R. Kelly’s sexual abuse of women. Papers such as the Chicago Tribune for decades reported stories from victims who narrated their encounters with the R&B singer.
Surviving R. Kelly docuseries
Through use of visual medium, Lifetime documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly,” finally drew widespread public attention to the behavior of the fading R&B superstar.
Surviving R. Kelly is a six part documentary detailing sexual abuse allegations against the singer. The show aired over three nights, from January 3 to January 5, 2019 in the US. Different celebrities such as John Legend, Chance the Rapper, Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, cut ties with the artiste, and vowed to withdraw records they made with him from being publicly accessed.
“Making a song with R. Kelly was a mistake,” says Chance in the series, referring to 2015’s “Somewhere in Paradise.”
Whereas big names in hip hop, such as Jay Z, who worked with R. Kelly on two albums between 2002 and 2004, refused to be a part of the documentary, singer John Legend was very vocal in speaking out against R. Kelly. He took part in the documentary without any hesitation. John Legend said speaking out against R. Kelly in the Lifetime docu-series Surviving R. Kelly was an “easy decision,” calling the fellow singer a “serial child rapist. “R. Kelly has brought so much pain to so many people,” Legend says in the docu-series. “#TimesUp for R. Kelly.”
After the first episode aired, Legend tweeted, “To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn’t feel risky at all. I believe these women and don’t care about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision.”
John Legend’s strong stance is seen as an act of courage considering the number or big celebrities who initially refused to take part in the docuseries.
“When it comes to celebrities, it was incredibly difficult to get people who had collaborated [artistically] with Kelly to come forward,” the show’s executive producer, Dream Hampton, told the Detroit Free Press. “We asked Lady Gaga. We asked Erykah Badu. We asked Céline Dion. We asked Jay-Z. We asked Dave Chappelle. (They’re) people who have been critical of him. That makes John Legend even more of a hero for me.”
Before the series had become a global hit, in the beginning of 2018 there was a campaign that sought to alienate R. Kelly by asking broadcasters or anyone else not to play his songs. The campaign was called #MuteRKelly. It was part of the #TimesUp movement, a movement against sexual harassment in Hollywood.
With limited success, and considering R. Kelly’s ability of rising up from the ashes like a phoenix, there was a need for something that would be more impactful.
When Surviving R. Kelly docuseries aired on Lifetime in the US, its premiere episode on January 3, 2019, was Lifetime’s highest-rated program in more than two years, with 1.9 million total viewers.
A few days after the show aired, police in Chicago started investigations against the allegations.
