R.Kelly Must Go to Jail PERIODT!!!
Demonstrators gathered near the studio of the singer R. Kelly to call for a boycott of his music
© Scott Olson/Getty Images
I cannot sit here and claim to write about all things R&B without discussing the filth that is R.Kelly. Robert Kelly – aka the Pied Piper of R&B – is a singer, song writer and producer that has been successful since the early 90s. Overtime, he has won several awards and according to Billboard, is the most successful R&B artist in history.
His success and its endurance over the passage of time, sickens me. Why? Because he is the scum of the earth, a child abuser and a pedophile. I hate that he has been able to succeed in the music industry for as long as he has. It makes me sick to think about the number of songs I love that may be written by him, even if they’re sang by other artists. I hate that he rode on the coattails of “allegedly” and with the backing of “I separate the art from the artist” for this long. Most of all, I hate that Black girls suffered so loud, for so long and no one came to their rescue.
In an article aptly titled, R.Kelly story makes us realize that no one cares about black women, writer Soraya Nadia Mcdonald explains all the ways in which the Black girl is persecuted by those who should protect her. This narrative of no one looking out for us other than us is further confirmed by the fact that the very campaign that has led to his most recent arrest, was spearheaded by none other than two Black women; Oronike Odeleye and Kenyette Barnes.
It is any wonder that we are not extinct. That the Black woman continues to flourish in the face of insurmountable odds. That we look on and see ourselves being fed to sexual predators on a stage for the world to see and no one bats an eye. As I write this I mourn. I mourn with Nina Simone’s Blackbird in the background of my mind. “You ain’t got no one to hold you/You ain’t got no one to care” has never felt truer than in times like this.
My only hope is that from now on, we learn to listen above the catchy melodies and beyond, to the voices that cry out for help.
References
Concepcion, M. (2010). The juice presents top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop artists of the Past 25 years. Retrieved from https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/950658/the-juice-presents-top-50-rbhip-hop-artists-of-the-past-25-years
Danielba (2011, November 1). Nina Simone – Blackbird (Audio) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LLkn-KLatY
Getty Images, & Olson, S. Retrieved from https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/01/10/opinion/10TILLET02/merlin_148973529_a579564a-ea24-4d82-a82f-65aa4b52e99d-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp
The history of the #MuteRKelly Movement. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.muterkelly.org/about