After R. Kelly's arrest on 10 sex abuse charges, critics intensify calls to pull his music
In the wake of R. Kelly's arrest on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, advocacy groups and critics are intensifying calls for streaming services to pull Kelly's music and for artists who collaborated with him to do the same.
The R&B singer is in police custody after turning himself in to a Chicago police precinct Friday night.
Some of the Cook County, Illinois, charges stem from a newly discovered video surfaced by attorney Michael Avenatti that allegedly shows Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl, according to a copy of the indictment obtained by USA TODAY. Each count carries 3-7 years in prison.
The indictment of Kelly, 52, culminates nearly two decades of allegations, one failed criminal trial, a surging #MuteRKelly campaign, a breakup with recording label RCA and the airing of a Kelly-damning Lifetime docu-series, "Surviving R. Kelly," in January.
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"For far too long, the music industry, including RCA, streaming services and radio stations, have been complicit in the singer’s abuse," said a statement from Brandi Collins-Dexter, senior campaign director at Color Of Change, which is a racial justice organization. "It is time for companies like iHeartRadio, YouTube, Vevo, Apple, Pandora to stop profiting from, and enriching, a sexual predator. We call on them to immediately remove Kelly’s catalogs from their libraries and institute a lifetime ban on his music."
Rebecca Gerber, senior director of engagement at Care2, another advocacy organization, echoed those sentiments.
"What more evidence do streaming services, radio stations and music venues need before they remove R. Kelly from their platforms and stop booking him at shows?" Gerber said. "Survivors of sexual abuse and #MuteRKelly advocates deserve better than that. Any entity that has a relationship with R. Kelly and his music must do the right thing and move to drop him for good — and that goes for all artists who have committed sexual violence against women and girls."
Some R. Kelly collaborators have already distanced themselves from his music. Kelly, who has written and produced his own hits like “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Bump N Grind" was also once a white-hot hitmaker that many artists clamored to work with.
More: Now singers are banishing R. Kelly-written songs from streaming catalogs, concert setlists
In January, following the broadcast of the "Surviving R. Kelly" docu-series, Lady Gaga apologized for her 2013 duet with R. Kelly, “Do What U Want,” and removed the track from streaming services. Celine Dion followed Gaga’s footsteps, removing her Grammy-nominated duet with the embattled singer, titled “I’m Your Angel,” from streaming platforms.
Other musicians including Joe, Fantasia, B2K and Syleena Johnson told The Associated Press they would no longer be performing songs they collaborated with Kelly on.
Johnson told the AP she got goosebumps just thinking about how she sang lyrics like “Now I’ve been dealin’ with you since sweet 16 / Woman enough to let you raise me / You used to call me daddy’s ghetto queen” for roughly 20 years.
Contributing: The Associated Press and Marie Puente.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: After R. Kelly's arrest on 10 sex abuse charges, critics intensify calls to pull his music
