Everyone who watches television and is on social media probably knows about the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly“. Though I haven’t seen the docuseries, I have been told that it was produced very well and brought forth more sexual misconduct allegations against R. Kelly than what was previously known.
I never really was an R. Kelly fan. His greatest song to me was “I Believe I Can Fly“. I remember that song because it was played so much on the radio, plus it was like a gospel song so I could listen to it without being scolded for listening to secular music.
As a teenager I nor my friends really listened to a lot of secular music, plus at that age I didn’t have a strong passion for music. In the 90’s, it was a little more difficult to search for songs and find out about music artists, as there were no smartphones, and even though some kids may have had a cell phone…. I had a pager. So, the only music I really listened to was either on the radio or played on a MTV/BET music video.
Anyway… not to get off subject and talk about my life :). But, today I read a news story that Sony has parted ways with R. Kelly. Even some of the artists who he has collaborated with are doing their best to remove any music they created with him from the airwaves. A hashtag was even created #MuteRKelly, so to protest his music and to eliminate any streams of revenue that he has.
The backlash from the Lifetime docuseries has not only hurt R. Kelly’s career, but has also given more attention to sexual abuse, especially in the black female community. It’s like every social media post that’s not about President Trump is about R. Kelly. However, I can’t help but to feel like most of R. Kelly’s protesters don’t actually care about the women who have claimed to have been abused, but they want to use this opportunity as a way to generate more attention towards their own agendas.
Statistics say that 1 in 5 black women have been raped or sexually abused in their lifetime, but I personally believe it’s closer to 3 in 5. Because, in my opinion, most women who have been abused sexually in some way want to forget that it ever happened and will not openly discuss it.
Certain things about the docuseries cause me to question how truthful it is and the motives behind its creation. The three main questions I have about all of this are:
- If all these people and Lifetime feel that R. Kelly is a sexual predator, and they have all the proof, why didn’t they bring it to court of law where he could be brought to justice… instead of bringing it to the court of public opinion and make a television show about it?
- How can Lifetime as a network be respected when they make a one-sided documentary? As R. Kelly never had a chance to voice his side of the story.
- If all of these black women feel like R. Kelly is a sexual predator, and he has this history of abusing young women, why did they hang around him and/or bring their daughter(s) around him?
I don’t want to seem like I condone sexual abuse or that I love R. Kelly, as I do believe some of the allegations made against him are true. And, I believe he has had sex with underage women. BUT, if you have ever worked in the entertainment industry or have been to an after-party in Hollywood or around A-list celebrities… you would recognize that it’s so many young women who literally throw themselves at these music artists.
In our world today, people who have been hurt don’t seek healing, they seek retaliation. As hurt people, hurt people.
People will do or say anything for money or fame. And, I believe why many celebrities have chosen not to immediately publicly disassociate themselves from R. Kelly, or prejudge him as a sexual predator after the docuseries was released, is because they recognize that fact.
Micheal Jackson wrote a song called “Dirty Diana“… it’s a song about a groupie who wanted to sleep with him and didn’t care about his girlfriend. I feel most of people’s problems occur not simply because of their actions, but more so due the type of people who they associate with. People always say that you are in essence a blended mixture of those closest to you.
Are all of R. Kelly’s accuser’s Dirty Diana’s? I don’t know. But, I do feel that everyone should be accountable for their actions… and, I generally don’t understand how women can dress like whores, act like groupies, but still want to be respected/treated like queens.