Women of color involved in the Time’s Up movement, which developed from the #MeToo campaign, are calling for an investigation into R. Kelly’s sexual abuse allegations. They are also asking anyone who works with him to stop and using the hashtag #MuteRKelly to accompany the new movement.
A letter pushing for the investigation by Time’s Up was published by The Root on Monday (April 30). Academy Award-winning director Ava DuVernay, John Legend and The Roots’ Questlove are among the prominent names in entertainment to show support for the #MuteRKelly movement.
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“For too long, our community has ignored our pain,” the letter reads. “The pain we bear is a burden that too many women of color have had to bear for centuries. The wounds run deep. As women of color within Time’s Up, we recognize that we have a responsibility to help right this wrong. We intend to shine a bright light on our WOC sisters in need. It is our hope that we will never feel ignored or silenced ever again.”
Following Bill Cosby’s conviction for his sexually abusive behavior, heads have turned to Kelly, who has been facing allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct against black women and girls for years. The controversial singer was once charged with 21 counts of child pornography and has recently been accused of grooming a teenager to be his “sex pet.”
Dallas authorities are currently looking into a woman’s assault claim in which the R&B singer knowingly gave her herpes. And according to an article by The Washington Post, Kelly was also prepping the woman to be part of his “sex cult.”
Last year, reports of Kelly’s “sex cult” emerged where he was allegedly keeping women against their will. One report says he would use his money, power and promise of fame to reel in unsuspecting women to his Atlanta mansion where they weren’t allowed to leave.
RCA Records, Spotify and Apple Music have been called out for monetizing off Kelly’s work, along with Ticketmaster and Greensboro Coliseum Complex in North Carolina, where he will be performing on May 11. Time’s Up is asking that those companies to completely cut ties with Kelly. In a recent interview — completely unrelated to the controversial singer – popular MC Vince Staples took it upon himself to switch the subject to call the self-proclaimed “Pied Piper” a “child molestor.”
A statement was released to Buzzfeed in response to Time’s Up, calls the movement “off-target.”
“R. Kelly supports the pro-women goals of the Time’s Up movement,” the statement from Kelly’s representative reads. “We understand criticizing a famous artist is a good way to draw attention to those goals — and in this case, it is unjust and off-target,” further calling it an “attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture.”
The statement continued: “R. Kelly’s music is a part of American and African-American culture that should never ― and will never ― be silenced,” the statement said. “Since America was born, black men and women have been lynched for having sex or for being accused of it.”
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More #MuteRKelly reactions can be found down below.
R.Kelly got someone in the higher up pist the F off…The Entertainment as whole is a cess pool of disgusting so call humans….This is just another classic case of virtue singling….
I understand and respect this movement against R. Kelly. But the industry is full of perverts and women abusers. R. Kelly shouldn’t be the only one to be condemned. You can’t see the forest for the trees. Where money and power lie, the devil prospers.
Bill Cosby was just condemned, and now it’s R. Kelly’s time. Simple stuff. Cut the philosophical bullshit.
That’s what’s wrong with making any real progress…. Simpletons
This is fuccin lame. Females wanna act like hoes, then when you treat them like a hoe they get mad at you, smh.
Don’t forget he married Aaliyah when she was 15 and he was 27. Dave Chappelle clowned on him so hard he never did recover.
Elvis?
Wrote age ain’t nothing but a number for her too
never recovered lmao hes owns all his publishing getting celine dion checks forever on top of hits hes written for everyone & his own, can get 200K for a show anytime he wants & half a mil with points for writing producing ghost or otherwise foh chapelle helped more than anything he still the King of r&b millions of yall conceived to this dude millions of , aunties, grandmas, & mammas getting piped to his music right now
Couple questions why do we decided who we give passes to? R .Kelly doesn’t get a pass … but Marvin Gaye does ? Both are wrong but why is Marvin Gaye so revearded
How about if you don’t wanna fuck with him then dont buy it. Don’t call on me to do shit.
Hitting his pockets will get his attention music icons for years have had child molesters and rapist hiding out in its ranks from Elvis Presley to R.Kelly to certain rappers X69
John Legend… Dude is a fkn hypocrite. Dude will make songs with convicted criminals but as long as it doesn’t effect his hip pocket he has a moral compass… Kelly was investigated for what has been reported in the media and nothing came of it because they were overage and were not being held captive against their will like the media want you to think.
The reason for this movement is because Bill Cosby was convicted for raping a white woman and R Kelly got acquitted for statutory rape of a black girl. Black women feel a certain way about it because the girls who are coming out about R Kelly are black and he is not being held accountable for them. As a result, they want to make R Kelly pay by default. It’s bullshit because those same white women won’t take it to the same extent when it comes to a white entertainer.
This is some bullshit. Just leave R Kelly alone. When 50 shades of grey came out women of color were all up on that shit. Now its fashionable to shit on Kelly? Dude who literally kept rnb poppin for some of these artists to eat! FOH liberal man bashing biased queer lovin freaks!
This is cool and all, but what does Ja Rule have to say about this?!
Ja Rule said that “IT’S MURDA” of what’s happening to R. Kelly
I know what he is ‘alleged’ to have done many years ago. But this whole movement is built off the recent stuff that is nothing. It’s these PC thugs with nothing better to do than find the next man to bash from their ivory tower because someone is reporting something untrue. And do you get any mainstream media posting that it’s baseless? Nah. Just like mainstream media never reporting on the many woman that were found out to be liars about Bill Cosby. I’m not saying Bill is innocent, but at least report both sides of the fkn story. Just like they didn’t report when MJ’s accusers said that it was all a money grabbing scheme and that in court their testimonies were ripped apart one by one. FKmedia.
Dude are you stupid? He pissed and abused a fucking 14 year old on film. He’s a fucking child molester and a predator. End of fucking story
how do you know, were you there or do you watch kiddie pron? not guilty
Haha. You obviously can’t read. Keep being an illiterate sheep.
john legend is a lame that get no love from the hood fuck that loser and his wack music
R&B singers betraying each other.
So when charlie sheen was living with multiple women and made it a spectacle all over the media and calling them his goddesses it was no big deal just charlie having fun, but if r kelly does the same hes a monster that has a sex cult, like do you really think that r kelly has so much trouble getting women that he keeps them against his will smh stupid
He married Aaliyah when she was underaged. Made sex tapes urinating on underaged girls. I’d say that’s questionable, no? Now he is accused of more questionable behavior with other women. Give this previous evidence, and his propensity for younger women, is it so far fetched to believe where there’s smoke there’s fire? And your point about “not having trouble getting women” is a weak argument. Powerful men abuse their position even when they don’t have to: See Cosby, See OJ, See Weinstein, See Kobe, and on and on and on. Cosby at on point was perhaps the most well known, most beloved black superstar on TV. Had women throwing themselves at him. Still, he felt the need to drug them for his pleasure. Why? It’s less about simply “getting women” and more about pushing the limits of their POWER.
In this latest BS, women who have been with Kelly, in his purported ‘cult’, have come out and said nothing is going on. None have been underage either. If women like his ‘power’ as you say and want to fk him, he has to say no?… It’s never the women who are at fault…
smh, blacks being sheep for the white liberal agenda. metoo sheep
Fellow women of color? So white women can still like Kell’s music?
Yup.
YŪ₱.
“Certainly, the prosecution put up vigorous case … but I thought the defense did a significant job of discrediting Andrea Constand giving the jury an indication that there was a number of lies she told over a period of time,” Jackson said.
couldn’t he just a make a mixtape? Also kerry washington is dating a whiteboi
For R. Kelly it does not look to good for you man. The system is going to do you just like they done Bill Cosby! Even if you are guilty or innocence, the system is going to eat you up!!! With this movement going on, the machine is going after every man in prominent position!!! For every man that has money, use the Billy Graham rule!!!!! Never do anything around a Female unless your main squeeze is right beside you!!!! Always treat each female with respect and love!!! I wonder why the same machine is not going after Trump, Clinton and Weinstein!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not sure if he’s guilty and why he would do such crimes at the height of his career where he had all types of girls all over him?! Still think that he’s the best R&B singer that ever touched the mic…
He settled multiple lawsuits . Thats usually a sign of guilt.
https://www.spin.com/2017/07/r-kelly-sexual-misconduct-allegations-timeline/
R Kelly’s is a very complicated mess. I hope he goes broke and ends up in jail for targeting impressionable young women and manipulating them. The powerful connections he made throwing sex parties are finally turning they back on him.
If for nothing else for sleeping with underage girls.
Funny.. My comments got deleted with a quote about liars from the cosby case.. That’s the media for you.
How can they do this to a good black man. Traitors!!!
Mute John Legend. His last album was wack.
What took so long for this …. ?