R. Kelly, like Michael Jackson, could see sexual abuse accusations define his career
- The bestselling R&B artist has been dropped by his record label and faces 10 charges of aggravated criminal sexual abuse
- Previous criminal charges didn’t seem to affect his popularity, but this time his downfall could be total
R. Kelly, who has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, was once regarded as the most accomplished singer-songwriter-producer-performer in the history of R&B. But his legacy may ultimately be defined in a far less flattering way by his private life.
Sexual allegations and criminal charges have shadowed Kelly most of his career, but after he was acquitted of 14 counts of child pornography in 2008, he continued to sell albums by the millions and pack concert halls.
Now, in the wake of reporting in BuzzFeed and The New Yorker, a recent Lifetime documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, and a #MuteRKelly nationwide protest movement, Kelly’s career is at a near standstill. He finds himself without a record label contract for the first time in 25 years and has had a string of major concerts cancelled.
If the latest charges against Kelly stick, the scope of the singer’s downfall will have few parallels in the last 50 years of music.
He’s reached the proportions of Harvey Weinstein. There’s no coming back ... Maybe he’ll have a career playing casinos in Thailand
Rock ’n’ roll pioneer Chuck Berry spent a 1½ years in prison during the 1960s after he was arrested for transporting a 14-year-old minor for “immoral purposes” across state lines. Berry’s career never fully recovered.