Vibe.com, July 29th, 2003
R. Kelly currently faces 33 child pornography charges in two separate investigations and over the past year it seems as though he's spent as much time deflecting the charges as he's spent in the studio. The allegations have not hurt his thriving career as expected and The Chocolate Factory triumphs as his second highest selling debut after TP-2.com.
Maybe our illegal purchases did not directly add to Kelly's fortune, but our unwavering, unconditional support has certainly helped his career. This year, the 36-year-old is a top contender at the Billboard R&B;/Hip Hop Awards-he has been nominated for seven of twelve possible awards. He will also be honored with the BMI Award for 2003's top songwriter/producer. Apparently, bumping and grinding with 14-year-old girls has fueled his sexual inferno rather than doused it out. We can't seem to get enough.
The honorees are not only determined by sales data, but radio airplay as well. No one is denying Kelly's talent but why are we denying his immoral actions? Not only are we refusing to condemn the R&B; singer, we are championing him, honoring him, showering him with accolades.
Kelly knows he's got the industry's most loyal (or apathetic) fans. Even at this year's BET Awards, he was sure to thank his supporters for their blind faith while blaming "the haters" for creating the controversy that momentarily sent his publicists into a spinning frenzy.
Now out on $1million bail, the singer/songwriter/producer was recently granted permission to go on a five-city tour. His continued success only punctuates the sentiments of essayist Kevin Powell in the August issue of ESSENCE, "Too often we in the Black community fail to respond in anger when even the most atrocious acts are committed against us by famous people who happen to look like us."
Come September, Kelly will no longer be appealing to a jury of his fans, he will face a much less forgiving judge in court. But even as Kelly faces the law, perhaps the only lesson he's learned is how expensive it can be to bury the truth.
