I have just binge watched all 6 episodes of “Surviving R Kelly” and I am in shock.
R Kelly is a disgrace and so is anyone who supports him…
Let me be honest and tell you that I approached this in a really doubtful way and feel incredibly stupid and a bit embarrassed for my “big world” reaction.
By big world, I mean I approach all stories about people of colour with skepticism. There are too many stories, particularly coming from America for me to look at the subject objectively. Bill Cosby is in jail and Harvey Weinstein is not. I was comfortable with following the usual narrative.
It is not a secret that rich and powerful men like younger women. Charlie Chaplain, Bill Wyman, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen have all had highly questionable relationships with girls and yet……
So for me colour has always played a role. That is why I feel compelled to say, R Kelly’s time is up.
In my opinion, without any doubt at all, he is a control freaking, life destroying, child molesting parasite. Was that clear enough?
I had joked with mates about whether i should play his songs or dance to them when they came on. I mean he has some absolutely fantastic songs. My personal favourite being Share My Love, which lifts my spirits and heals my soul. But there are many more which have created a soundtrack to our lives for over two decades.
I Believe I Can Fly, is one of those songs that literally everyone knows and Chocolate Factory is one of the great albums of our time. He has written and produced for many artists including, Whitney Houston, Aaliyah and another great performer dogged by controversy, Michael Jackson.
I really should have known something was wrong when he married Aaliyah and he told me he was a wrong’un in Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number.
(Check out Bump and Grind after watching the documentary)
Then there was that video, remember? I was at Choice FM at the time and apart from the salaciousness around it, there was a kind of disbelief. I mean, for me it was the original sex tape. The allegation was that she was 14, but the conversation seemed to be about the fact that he peed in her mouth, It was beyond belief.
The historic allegations and numerous lawsuits, 6 figure payoffs and (out of court) non disclosure settlements…. I keep asking myself: How did he manage to get away with it for so long?
Because they are black girls and as a community in search of heroes in this challenging world, where so many of us are defined by colour, there was blind faith.
Remember the cases of Mike Tyson, Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson? it was almost as though people celebrated the fact that Simpson got away with it.
It is as though there is an unwritten rule that we don’t sell out brothers to the police. That if we can’t support them publicly, we definitely don’t say anything to make their situation worse.
The documentary proves without any doubt that Kelly is a monster and has to be stopped. He is killing our young queens for his own twisted, sadistic pleasure.
I pray that people around him take a good hard look at themselves because they are as guilty as him. He couldn’t be doing this without help.
Google his name, take time and listen to JayZ, Ne-Yo, Damen Dash, John Legend, Kelly’s Ex wife and the parents who have not seen their daughter for years.
Are they all making it up? Episode 5 brought tears to my eyes, it is heartbreaking.
So what can we do? “Its in America and we have no power”
Oh yes we do.
So for me, no more downloads, no more radio playlists, no more playing his songs at church, at home, at school, at parties, AT ALL. If you go out and the dj plays his song, then walk off the dance floor. They are egotistical and will soon realise that people aren’t having it.
Please watch the documentary and tell me I am wrong. Even if you don’t buy the paedophilic aspect of the story, the controlling abuse of young black women is indisputable and that is enough (for me) never to Bump and Grind again, because there are to many Skeletons in the Closet and its time to switch off the IGNITION and Step in The Name Of Love.
Are you ready to join me?
