R. Kelly’s case: 30 years of abuse, 30 years in prison

It’s a case chillingly reminiscent of those of Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein. On Wednesday, June 29, R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex crimes. A sentence that traces the years of horror and abuse perpetuated by the R’n’B star in the spotlight and in the shadow of his fame. And that his victims, numerous, were finally able to reveal.

It all started when the musician’s career exploded in the 1990s. He was known by his title. I believe, I can fly (1996), awarded with three Grammy Awards, R. Kelly, real name Robert Sylvester Kelly, sold millions of albums and became one of R’n’B’s heavyweights. But behind the success and glitz lies a much more sordid reality, involving him in child abuse relationships with young minors.

Hiding this dark side from the media and the public, the star continues to produce albums and win numerous music awards without anyone suspecting. It was he who produced 1994 Age is nothing but a number (Age is just a number, editor’s note), the first album by Aaliyah, a rising R’n’B star who quickly became a phenomenal success. He was 15 and she was 27 when she married him that same year. In order to unite forever, the couple goes so far as to falsify their marriage certificate to make sure that the teenager is of age. The latter’s parents finally annul the marriage in 1995, which does not prevent R. Kelly from getting close to other minors. Aaliyah, whose international career ends with a cult title try again In 2001, shortly after the tragic plane crash, he will disappear, at the age of 22.

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R. Kelly’s Cult

Back in the 1990s, some victims dared to accuse R. Kelly. But most of these court cases end in acquittal, dismissal or amicable settlement. Thanks to his fame, the musician manages to silence them and escapes from justice from 1994 to 2019. Until the media seized the case to reveal it once and for all. In 2017, a few months before the Weinstein case, the public discovered the truth. BuzzFeed publishes an investigation by reporter Jim DeRogatis that uncovers an entire system of child sexual exploitation led by what he believes to be King R’n’B. Two years later, a documentary titled Surviving R. Kelly – available on Netflix – airing in the US. It brings together the testimonies of many of the singer’s young wives and relatives, exposing his sordid practices.

Forcible detention and sexual assault

Using his fame to attract young girls, R. Kelly ended up kidnapping them. Promising to help them in their musical careers, he disciplines them and holds them against their will in rented properties in Chicago or the Atlanta suburbs. The women who accuse the R’n’B star claim they were drugged, then raped, kidnapped, forced to have abortions and infected with sexually transmitted diseases, reports AFP. survey published by BuzzFeed: reveals, in particular, that they were no longer allowed to use their cell phones, had to call their torturer “Daddy,” had to ask permission to leave their room, and were dressed in jogging clothes because the singer didn’t want their silhouettes exposed. If any rule was not followed, they were subjected to sanctions, physical and verbal.

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Trial and conviction

R. Kelly was finally arrested in 2019 and charged with 10 charges, including “sexual exploitation of a minor,” “extortion,” “kidnapping,” “corruption,” “child pornography,” or even “forced labor.” His trial, postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, began in August 2021 and the singer was found guilty on September 27, 2021. A total of nine women and two men testified, describing rape, forced drugging, kidnapping and child pornography. In pre-trial detention, he tries to appeal, but is finally sentenced to 30 years in prison for these 30 years of horror. A new victory for victims of sexual violence, 5 years after the conviction of Harvey Weinstein and the emergence of the Me Too movement.