Why We Cannot Separate the Artist From Their Art

Lifetime recently aired a six-part docuseries titled “Surviving R. Kelly.” The docuseries details the gut-wrenching sexual abuse allegations against the famous R&B singer, featuring 50 testimonies from journalists, fellow musicians, those involved in Robert Kelly’s circle and, of course, survivors. 

The series covers allegations spanning over 25 years of Kelly’s career that the singer continues to deny. Although he released a contradictory 19-minute track, “I admit,” in July 2018, it highlighted Robert Kelly’s inability to read and write or take any accountability for his actions. 

Allegations against R. Kelly span over the course of 2 decades, starting in 1994, when the then 27-year-old faked legal documents in order to marry the now deceased R&B protegee Aaliyah, just 15–years–old at the time. The allegations only get more disturbing when, in December 2000, the Chicago Sun published a story stating that Kelly was sexually abusing his fans at as young as 15–years–old, and in June 2002, Robert Kelly was arrested on 21 accounts of child pornography. 

The most recent allegations against Robert Kelly were released only two years ago. In 2017, a BuzzFeed article revealed that Kelly had been keeping women in cult–like conditions that included mental, physical and sexual abuse.  

These allegations were no secret to the public, yet R. Kelly was able to continue his music career with ease. Throughout his child pornography trials, fans lined up outside of the courthouse where the trial was taking place in support of Kelly’s “not guilty” plea. After the docuseries aired, R. Kelly reentered the Billboard R&B Charts for the first time in 5 years with “Ignition” landing at number 12 and “I believe I can fly” at number 20. Kelly’s song “Ignition” also received 3.1 million streams in the U.S alone since the six-part series aired, according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

The docuseries constantly reiterates the point that allegations against R. Kelly have not ruined his career. Kelly’s reappearance on the Billboard charts alone proves this to be true. A clip of rapper Vince Staples appeared in the docuseries stating how entertainers are able to escape any consequence for their actions despite how disturbing they are. There has been undeniable proof that R. Kelly has been a statutory rapist since 1994, yet the singer has not faced any jail time and has been acquitted for his counts of child pornography.  

Although Sony has dropped R. Kelly from their record label, Spotify has removed the singer’s music from their official playlist and Lady Gaga has removed a song that features Kelly (which spiked in sales and rose to 36 on the iTunes chart before removal from apple music), Kelly’s music is back in demand. 

Despite Robert Kelly being exposed for being a child predator, people are more than willing to support his “art,” which, prior to the release of the docuseries, had disappeared from the charts. People are able to favor the predator and completely disregard the survivors of such horrendous acts.  

John Petrean, a juror during R. Kelly’s trial, stated, “I just didn’t believe the women… The way they dressed, the way they acted; I didn’t like them. I voted against them.” The biggest tragedy of “Surviving R. Kelly” is the negligence of the sexual assault victims. A platform for the victims of Robert Kelly is long overdue. The continuation of R. Kelly’s career is a reflection of pop culture’s disregard for sexual assault victims’ safety and lives.