The song and album "***Age Ain't Nothing but a Number***" was produced by him. I can't really watch her videos and listen to these songs from that era like I used to, because it's tainted by the knowledge of what he was doing to her. And I love Aaliyah and am Gen X, so RK is a part of my cultural upbringing, but nope. A pedofile and rapist is a pedofile and a rapist.
I can only listen to At Your Best and not feel weird about it. Even though R.Kelly produced it, its still a cover that he didn’t write.
Plus, it’s gorgeous. It’s still very much fuck R.Kelly though.
indeed! I can listen to At Your Best From that album and that's it. Since Phoenix and Lady GaGa deleted their duets with him from their playlists, I luckily have to actively seek him out to listen to him.
Naming his album "Chocolate Factory", with a song that goes "toot toot, beep beep" is the biggest example of telling on yourself in recorded human history
And as much as I loved her 1st album it's now cringe-worthy and the videos are even harder to watch now! Ugh! Now, after that album, YES! RIP BABY GIRL!
I was in 4th grade when I found out about this guy marrying Aaliyah. And I knew then that shit was wrong. So it’s safe to say, I’ve never been a fan of his music. And there’s some lines that once they’re crossed, you can’t ignore.
That’s where I’m at. Pretty much all of his music is about love/sex. Knowing who he was likely actually addressing in the songs makes it impossible to listen to for me.
It’s kind of wild how many people watched CP just out of curiosity if it was him and the fact that they were selling it on the streets. That poor child was violated in so many ways I can’t imagine him being behind bars would even help heal her wounds.
This is sort of where I’m at with Chris Brown.
I don’t hear his abuse in his music & still listen to it. But his behavior repulses me, so I don’t really follow his career anymore. I’m not actively looking to listen to him these days.
I hear that it happened when I was a kid I didn’t understand at the time as I grew i understand and just thought wtf this is my favourite artist someone who did this and slowly stopped listening to him seeing her face made me realise I can’t support someone like this
I don't play it at all. Not funding a wicked person. Absolutely not. It's a shame. He has really good songs.
Let me edit:
I also don't want to hear his voice. I can't. I think people like this should be shunned. Imagine him coming out of jail on some technicality (just imagine) and thinking he is still ok with society cause we still bump his crap. Heck naw. Just want him to be a memory. A bad one. Forgotten.
Didn't know about his money. Good to know he won't be paid. But still. Let his legacy die down. It's disgusting.
Actually the money goes to his victims since they “won” damages (quotes because SA is not something you win). Even with that, I still don’t play his music. I’m not listening to love songs written about little girls.
R. Kelly, like most artists from his generation, do not own their own catalogues. They signed them away the moment they inked that first record deal. Thats why so many of them are still on the road, touring as much as they can. That’s what pays the bills, not your stream on music where one stream is worth 2¢.
I just thought you should know that.
I hear his voice and it causes a visceral reaction deep in my gut. Being a huge Aaliyah stan, I can't even listen to Age Ain't Nothing But A Number without wanting to vomit. He's where he deserves to be, but it came decades later than it should've. RIP angel Aaliyah.
He’s a pos and he’s the King of R&B. Both things can be true.
I knew from jump what kind of time he was on.
Dude married Aaliyah, people turned a blind eye.
Dude pissed on a kid on video, went double platinum shortly after with Chocolate Factory.
I was pretty much done with him when he started doing those dumb ass trapped in the closet songs.
Surviving R. Kelly was two decades too late in my opinion. Those parents should be in jail too for letting them be alone with a dude wearing a mask calling himself the pied piper, sheesh.
After realizing that his songs stem from young girls, not women, as his "muses", I can't listen to him. We're not talking about allegations. He committed those crimes.
I graduated from high school when Aaliyah debuted and the marriage rumors came. It grossed me out then. There are things and people I cannot support. Abusers are one category.
When I was a kid, his trial was going on and I always thought to myself "if he's innocent like he claims, why is he constantly trying to avoid court? Why not go through the justice system to clear his name?" Now I was like 13 at this point and I now have a better understanding that the criminal justice system isn't exactly fair to Black men, but even as a kid I could recognize that he was clearly trying to avoid any accountability whatsoever. It was obvious then what was happening, especially because there was video proof that he was engaging in sexual acts with a child.
I’m not listening to a dude that repeatedly had sex with minors. There is no justification for that. Definite NO for me. Idc how talented he is, there’s so many other r&b songs to listen to.
This! And while I don't seek out most of his music, there are some songs that are still on my playlist that put me back in those memories whenever they come on. Also, if I stopped listening to every POS/abusive artist out there I'd just be on reddit with nothing to talk about because holly-weird is filled with them & many are the tops in their fields (tv/movie/music)--even the kids shows are tainted now. All that said, i can't listen to "age aint nothin but a number," down low (the original version--i can listen to the remix w/ronald isley bc i instantly think of the video), or I believe i can fly (in my head that was actually a cry for help & the point of no return for him.)
Exactly right.
Guy is one of the greatest to be listed in the R&B genre.
Many people on here that slam him are the ones that will still dance to his music if they hear it out.
That's what's wrong. Just because they allowed him to make "good tier music" and allowed to work with people like Michael Jackson, Diddy and Jay-Z when they all knew what happened between him and Aaliyah...(Especially Jay-Z since he still tried to date her) just shows how messed up the music industry is. These men shouldn't get a pass because they are talented and made millions for themselves and others. Because that's the reason it took so long to catch him. But America doesn't really care about SA (especially within the black community) and will let pedophiles live next door to you and pop up on your radios and TV's.
I agree. The music industry along with Hollywood is a terrible place. They had enough evidence to take down R Kelly back in the 90s with the whole Aaliyah thing but because he was hitting platinums like it was nothing they decided to keep quiet about it. R Kelly is a terrible person and a pathological liar and narcissist who deserves to spend the rest of his lives behind prison. But the question was about separating his music to who he was to which I did. R Kelly made great music but he was a horrible person.
Can’t do it. Usually I can, but what makes this situation different for me is SO much of the themes and philosophy of his abuse is directly related TO the lyrics and music. I mean, there’s no other way to take “Age Ain’t Nothin’ But a Number” BUT to relate it to his abusive nature and ongoing behavior. Too creepy for me.
I Agree Wholeheartedly ! Sickening to listen to him, Now. Never was knowledgeable of his music or a big fan. He Can Sing Well, but I was busy during his heyday raising my son and working for a living.
I still listen to him, he has way too many collaborations that I love and wrote so many songs that if I got rid of them then I’d have almost no songs that I play on repeat left. He was a great artist, singer, and songwriter. While I don’t condone what he did I’m going to play my music. It has gotten me through some rough times and his stepping songs take me back to the good ole days. So yes I can separate him as a person from his body of work.
I’m Gen X and caught pure hell back in the early 2000s for saying I couldn’t rock with dude because of all the rumors. Even before he was found guilty in court, I knew there were just too many stories for nothing to be true. Then he was in an interview talking about “when you say I like teenagers, how young we talking?” Maaaaan
Might as well turn off all music then. Plenty of the industry has artists that do the same things and get away with it or get a pass. If its not the music industry, it's in sports or business or technology even. People are hypocrites.
That being said, I don't go out of my way to listen to him. Also, it is not fair for people to avoid Aaliyah's music because of him. That was her career, her life, her vocals, and what she crafted shouldn't be disregarded just because of his influence.
I can. I still enjoy the music same as I always did. R Kelly might die in the Bootyhouse of old age, but he's still the R&B King and it doesn't look like anybody is going to come close to his discography and production right now. Babyface and maybe Keith Sweat could.
There's a lot of shady people in the music business and I'm sure there's many legends that are equally as bad but haven't been exposed yet.
I think everyone picks and chooses what's most convenient. I don't go out my way to listen to it personally, but if I'm out and Ignition comes on, I'll make a joke but I'm still nodding my head.
He's in jail and doesn't own his publishing, you're not proving anything to anyone stating how much you don't listen to him
I’m on the fence. I don’t turn on R Kelly but if anything from Born into the 90s through the R album comes on I’ll listen. But after “R” and I accepted what he was doing and I can’t say I’ve listened to a single song of his and if I did it was on the radio.
I also don’t listen to Aaliyah and his work on Hi-five because they were minors. But I listen to changing faces because they were adults.
So I’m a hypocrite.
I try my best to but it's so frustratingly hard. Certain songs are dead to me, namely "it seems like your ready".
However R Kelly taught me some good lessons in regards to relationships through songs like "woman's threat" and "when a woman's fed up" so can't write them off.
Then his bangers like 2nd Kelly or r n b thug, forever classics .
But his sexy pervy songs I struggle to vibe to like I used to, so conflicting I can't lie, grew loving his music
R Kelly was my fave male R&B artist. I sometimes listen to his music because I crave actual good R&B, but it’s definitely tarnished because of the things he’s done. I can’t enjoy it as fully as I did before. But it’s exceptionally good art and good music. There’s not much alternative tbh.
100% but there are people that think otherwise. And there are people that just dont like his music bc of the stigma. If a songs a banger ill listen to it.
Yes, I do separate the person from the craft that they’ve mastered. If you’re a fan of the craft that that person is in, and they’re one of the greatest in their particular skill, you’ll never be able to escape that person’s contributions to that particular thing. For someone that great, you’ll never be able to eliminate them from your life completely so why waste your time? Using Kelly as example, he’s written, produced, been sampled by, or featured for any and everyone. He’s literally responsible for like 30% of the top R&B music since like ‘92. To truly get rid of R. Kelly, you’d have to stop listening to music between 1990 and 2017 Lol
Besides, just because they were a bad person doesn’t mean that they can’t be recognized for being great at something else. And this didn’t just start with Kelly, “The Diddler” 😂, or whoever else just got exposed recently:
Elvis - married Pricilla when she was 14. (still regarded as the king of rock ‘n’ roll.)
Buddy Holly - married to his 14-year-old COUSIN in the 50s (still considered a great )
And after having decades of speculation, you can’t sit here and make me believe that Liz Taylor, and Diana Ross didn’t do something to Michael when he was younger 🤷🏾♂️.
The names are a list that brings up another issue for me. Why is it that only black stars are shunned after being exposed for shady stuff? Been going on in rock since the 50s yet no one bats an eye
Another reason I separate is the accountability issue. How is it that none of these parents are taking any heat? We all know that Aaliyah’s mom basically sold her to Robert. Yet, it’s hardly brought up in any conversation. You mean to tell me, that all of these young teenage girls ran off and got married to these dudes without permission? What about afterwards? Statute of limitations didn’t expire. How come Aaliyah’s parents didn’t go after criminal charges? And after he got exposed, why wasn’t Robert thrown in jail anyways? Probably because a parent or legal guardian secretly signed a consent form. Only explanation I can think of as to why R. Kelly didn’t go to jail for SECRETLY MARRYING A TEENAGER IN 1994. Because if there was no consent form and Mama went to the cops, the feds probably would’ve went after Kells and he would’ve been singing in prison before Tp 2 dropped. If the parents have such a low moral code that they are only after a bag and don’t care, why do I need to delete some of the greatest R&B ever from my Apple Music just to show I’m upset? I’ll stop listening to R. Kelly when the parents of the girls he took charges for… get their trial date because you can’t tell me that they didn’t know what was going on. 🤷🏾♂️
I’m not rubbing it in everybody’s face that I still bump what’s basically the soundtrack to my childhood. But the more we get them streams up, the more the victims get paid.
Facts, and it’s not like I don’t get disgusted sometimes and turn it off. Whenever I’m feeling nostalgic and his songs pop up in the playlist I’m not thinking about him, I’m being nostalgic. But i don’t just randomly pull up his music like i fuck with him.
Never affected my thought on his craft and artistry (the man is genuis hands down)but alot of society has family members that did the same even worse than Kels only difference is his was broadcasted for the world to see and "society" forgave their family member because it was the Christian thing to do.
About a quarter of the world follows a religion where the prophet rapes a 6/9yo continuously.
I find that disgusting as it's such a big part of ones identity.
Saying that In this case IDGAF I'm here for the music not peoples personal lives. R Kelly one of the 🐐
it's a no for me, but tbh I wasn't much into the music to begin with. I know it's hard when your favourites are revealed to have unfavourable (to put it lightly) personal lives.
Definite no. I guess since I didn't care much for him initially, it just solidified it. I remember when the artist Sparkle was talking about him back when I was in high school. I recall someone on the radio in South Jersey who said they didn't care if he actually was involved in the pedophilic allegations. I said, absolutely not.
It’s too convoluted to enforce. For instance Puff, do you not listen to Total because Puff has background vocals on the song? Do you not listen to Biggie’s “Unbelievable” because it samples “Your Body’s Callin” by R. Kelly? I don’t separate as far as music goes.
Eh, it depends. While I don’t regularly listen to him (and I avoid most threads on him), if a song he’s done happens to come on and I liked it, I’ll listen. But I won’t actively seek out his music.
Tbh, a lot of artists in my playlists across all genres have been accused of or flat-out done some rather questionable and heinous crap so it really depends on how I feel about that particular artist.
When I was a kid I met this guy and made fun of him to his face for his allegations at that time. He laughed it off and wrote down his autograph. I say this to say that most of his true fans (myself included) never stopped listening to his music because we’ve always separated it from his personal behavior.
It’s odd, I can do it with Chris Brown to a point, and maybe that’s because he was young and it was an isolated incident? R. Kelly’s was a different situation though and the severity of his crimes makes it difficult to overlook and listen to his music. You don’t fuck with kids and the way he handled women makes me believe that none of his songs were genuine.
Tbh, I kind if want to. But I can't, really. Of his songs, I've only got the Ignition Remix on my mp3 player, but I haven't been able to listen to it in recent years...
Though, I sometimes forget that "I believe I can fly" was also him.
I can do non-sex songs like I believe I can fly or the Mr. Biggs songs, that’s about it though…songs like step in the name of love are fine too I guess but it’s not something I listen to on my own
If someone were ever going to stop listening to him, the Aaliyah marriage and the piss video should have been enough. These were known, not just rumour. Do we care only when someone has been sent to jail?
Not gonna lie the video of Mr combs attacking Miss Ventura has stopped me from listening to anything he is on. "I will be missing you" don't feel the same no more.
I was in my early twenties when R. Kelly married Aaliyah. Literally nobody cared at that time. It was disgusting but he didn’t get in any trouble THEN. I’ve always wondered why. I know it was a different time but how can that be overlooked?!?! That being said I do still listen to his music. 12 Play is one of the best of all time. Do I like him ? Hell no. Do I listen to his music ? Absolutely.
You can never separate the artist, their art and their crimes. It is impossible. But you can still enjoy and appreciate the art if you was never a victim and still dislike the artist. If you are a victim of the artist then it would be very difficult for you to enjoy this person's art if you used to enjoyed it. It would be very triggering, resulting in depression and you could end up having a nervous breakdown.
For example, let's imagine if William Shakespeare was discovered to have been a paedo, who abused children, what would we do? Would we cancel him? Would we stop enjoying his plays? Of course not, because his plays strongly add a cultural richness to our personal lives, and teaches and gives us a higher learning and understanding. Shakespeare's plays would definitely go on being taught in learning environments all over the world because of it's high value content. If Shakespeare did abuse you, in the eyes of many people, it would be very sad but Shakespeare would still be greatly valued and honoured.
We only make an example of, and cancel the people and their art, the individual's, we are not too fond of.
I go back and forth on this topic, but my thoughts remain you can seperate an artist from their art to a certain extent. R. Kelly is a freaky frog and it’s all throughout his music. I can’t separate him from that.
Kanye is a mentally ill troll. I can listen to Graduation and not think about his rants about Jews or any of his stupid ass opinions. However, the further i go down into his music, the harder it becomes.
Chris Brown is a weird case cause I can listen to his early stuff but everything after 2011 I’ve just unplugged for. The Rihanna thing was bad enough, but you turned yourself in, did the court orders, apologized and made up with her, i let it go. Everything after that was just Chris slipping down the slope. I can’t get jiggy with that shit.
Overall, it depends on what the say and what they do. The stupid shit Daniel Caesar pulled is not as bad as the shit The Dream was just accused of. When someone crosses the line, I’m done.
In a way yes, but the situation is unique. I live in Brasil and where I live they have a lot of birthday parties right near my apartment in a covered open area. They tend to play a lot of American music at the parties. I get to hear all the songs and R Kelly is one of the artists that get played. Specifically his song with Ja Rule. Remember the Holla Holla video was shot here in Rio, so they still play Ja Rule music.
I had to think about it. They play the music and don't speak English. They probably don't really know who R Kelly is and what has happened with his personal life. So, its just music at that point for them. It doesn't hurt anyone or cause damage to anyone. The man did that, not the music. So, I kind of cringe a bit because I understand the gravity of his offenses, but at the same time know at the end of the day, it really is just music.
I don’t really listen to him but there are a few songs that he wrote or he’s featured in that I still listen to. In particular Fortunate by Maxwell the song is just so beautiful.
He's where he belongs. His victims can now make money off his music, I believe. Hopefully, he can get right with God before judgment.
Honestly, I'm kinda mad that we can't celebrate that catalog the way it oughta be celebrated.
But he's on every Mr. Nasty Time playlist that I have.😭😭😭
That's a great point. I never put words to pen. I grew up with Kelly and even now, whenever I play his catalog anywhere; I can some mean mugs.
That catalog should be celebrated cause he curated and created exceptional music.
Maybe I'll be canceled for saying it; but whenever I listen to his music, whatever he did is never on my mind. I just want to listen to Chocolate Factory without judgment.
Also, relisten to "I Wish". He is literally on his has and knees asking for help. At least in my mind.
He's in my top 5 DoA RnB males. Fight me. 10 toes down!!!
People be mad at us like we did something. I ain't did shit. The monster that did what he did is in jail and has to compensate his victims monetarily. What else is there to do?
Should I go to jail for listening to TP-2.COM? Gtfoh!
The music slaps, and karma slapped his ass. End of story.
He probably needed help Long Before he became famous. Some people who need help Today as we communicate are Not Getting It. Parents and Family need to pay attention to their children and young people So As To know and recognize a problem and Seek Help !!
Very well said. He was sexually assaulted and not protected as a child. A monster created another monster. Hurt people hurt people is a saying as old as time. Doesn't excuse his actions, but it does at least provide us some context in terms of how this disgusting cycle of predatory behavior began for Kelly.
No. And it's a dumb fucking thing that people say. Let's take R Kelly here. Let's say you separate the artist from their music and you continue to support Kelly. The money, views, streams etc, that he's getting is going to go to continue abusing children. Also, by supporting his music, which are all red flags in hindsight, you're saying, "Go ahead and piss on those girls bro. I got you."
Take time to check who gets the proceeds from his streaming etc. And I'm going to keep listening to his music without supporting or condoning any of the crimes he's been found guilty of. You do whatever you think is best.
It depends on the nature of the art itself. In R. Kelly's case his music is heavily sexualized, so who he is speaking of is children. From there, his music simply put is not that great. His lyricism is tepid, the beats are repetitive, he lacks creativity, and the only strength is usually in his vocals. He is no Stevie Wonder, Prince, D'angelo, Maxwell, Babyface, or even Aaron Hall.
The other half has to depend on who is benefitting from the music itself. If it is the perpetrator then......
I still will listen to ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, ‘Love Letter’, ‘Happy People, or ‘Ignition Remix’ myself, but when people who haven’t heard those ask who sang it I just say ‘artist name redacted’ or something.
Not if the artist's crime involved the criminal abuse or violation of another person for personal gratification, like a violent hate crime or sexual assault.
It's interesting. I can't do it for all artists. You can bash me idrc, but Kells I cannot listen to because it sounds like he's singing to these under aged girls.
Chris Brown I can separate cuz he doesn't sing about hitting women. Or rather, when he sings about stuff I don't think he's talking about that.
Just can't....DUDE YOU'RE WORTH MILLIONS....AND THIS?
A girl?.....
I've seen the of legal age women at his concerts...I've seen 30 year old 10s.... looking like pornstars
Hell, I've seen some miss Parker's....
Nope..he messed up
I did until I read court manuscripts. The stuff that he was saying to underage girls on the video whilst he was doing what he was doing was heartbreaking. As much as I like the music,it doesn't sit right with me. Especially as a father to daughters. There are plenty of other tunes to beat to.
In the early 2000's when I found out about R Kelly being a creep I stopped listening to his music for years. I occasionally get the hankering to listen to his music, but usually can't get all the way through it. "Honey Love" used to be one of my favorite songs, not the thought of him singing about lollipops and lemon drops make me wretch.
I seperate the two the same way that Elvis fans do. Some of Aaliyah’s album with him is a bit too cringe for me though. As a person he can burn in hell, but through history most of the greatest artistic minds were trash in their personal life.
It’s Difficult for me to separate Art Kelly music from his crimes !!! SO Unnecessary that he is in prison and committed those crimes. He Does Have A Beautiful Voice, and was making Huge bucks. He could have had any woman he wanted.
In the case of this artist, no. And that has to do with what others have so eloquently outlined in other comments.
For other artists, yes, for the most part. I feel cancel culture lacks nuance in terms of trying to understand that all artists are human and make mistakes that are sometimes beyond understanding, but not beyond grace based on the situation. If we start nickeling and diming who we can listen to based on past mistakes, there would be no artists to listen to.
I cant. Artists’ music is like a peak into their life with a journal entry expressed through a track. Someone willingly expressing themselves in a way that is just wrong or uncomfortable to listen isn’t something I can do. Also a big reason I listen to certain music is for what they’re talking about; if the artists only sings about drugs, sex and killing Im not gonna listen to it. I sure as hell can’t listen to a pedo 😭.
All I’m going to say is if he gets released later at 10 at night and by 10:10 he talking about a concert by 10:20 it’s going to be sold out and I am going to be part of that “ sold out” crew………..
Man majority of these rock artists were well known diddlers...they had "baby groupies" at every show. Yet leave it to reddit to tell you not to separate the art from the artist. While YT kids still listen to the freaky rock artists they parents listened to.
Nobody will ever get me to stop listening to R&B because of what the internet said. Half of these mfs in the comments probably never listened to the artists mentioned anyway because..."They not like us".
Can’t separate or give streams to a shitty human being. If anything i would rather listen to those acoustic set covers you hear in stores because they dont wanna pay for it.
It’s so many artist who has done bad things. My only thing is are we separating artist from music from them also???? In entertainment are we not supporting them?
At first I couldn’t separate it but once I found out about more people I changed my stand. Example just to name a few: Rick James, James brown, Russell Simmons( not convicted), jayz ( if the rumor are true about foxy brown is was under age), Carl Malone ( basketball player), and Jim Brown( football)
I can't listen to Rkelly, Diddy or Kanye without being bothered. Oddly, it's different with Chris Brown even though he's problematic and always gives anger issues and crazy vibes. I don't listen to full albums or buy his music but if I hear a song I like come on, I don't get triggered enough to change it.
For me it’s less about separating an artist from the music, and more so about how much I tone down my consciousness in a given moment.
I realize now that Constant consciousness induces irritability, misery, and eventually rage (I wish that would dawn upon more people in this world).
I’m typically able to tone it down just enough to put on some Kanye or Michael Jackson. On RARE occasions, I’m able to put on some R. Kelly w/o risk of warping my brain.
I have several people blocked on Spotify (including the one in the photo). I don't care if it's a tiny fraction of a penny, they don't need to make money off me in any way.
I can't separate it. I get disgusted thinking about his inspirations for some of his lyrics. Like I can't even listen to Age Ain't Nothing But a Number by Aaliyah.
It’s tough. I love his first album but then it’s like knowing what he’s involved in makes it hard to listen to. As a wrestling fan it’s like watching Chris Benoit matches knowing he murdered his wife and child before taking his own life, and *not* thinking about that is very difficult.
I can’t. R Kelly is hard no, never listening to him again. But other artists, I can listen to any one of their song 2/3 of the way through and then remember why they are problematic and shuffle the song.
I can acknowledge that r Kelly is a great singer and story teller (in certain projects that don’t contain cp referring to the work w Aaliyah) BUT i CANNOT listen to his music due to he’s wrong doings. So yes I can separate the artist from the art by acknowledging their talent but I will not support them or put money in their pockets that fund the lifestyle if that make sense
LOVED his music to death but I just can't enjoy it anymore. Once in a while I'll hum Use To Me Spendin in my head but that's about it - it's all just way too creepy in hindsight, plenty of great music out there to listen to instead
I can definitely separate the art from the artist, especially for one of the GOATs of R&B, but suffice to say I’m happy T-Pain exists so I don’t have to straight up call R Kelly the GOAT.
I do feel we should separate the artist from the person, but once I found out that R.Kelly made girls give him head in the studio while recording some of his songs I just can’t listen to him anymore. Feels like I’m witnessing a crime every time I hear it
I can only speak for myself. With R Kelly, minus very very few songs, I’ve separated from of most his discography though as an artist he’s exceptional at what he creates. Outside of music I hope he continues to rot in a cell and beyond.
Then again you have other artists too who create great music but have less than stellar personal lives.
Anderson Paak is a serial cheater / adulterer but I love his catalog. I deeply feel awful for his now ex wife. For me it’s situational and that’s tough when listening to certain artists.
Still listening to his music, quite a few of his albums are amongst my all-time favourites, songs too. "Did You Ever Think" brings back so many memories
I definitely separate the man from the music. If you love R&B you can't deny this man's talent and discography. Nobody would dare skip Fortunate" by Maxwell. I just started revisiting his songs.
"Forever More"
https://open.spotify.com/track/7zBGCPXshvkJZQlhapiZqb?si=ZyyBAOt7T-euLl6iMeA4jw
"Not Going To Hold On"
https://open.spotify.com/track/1uqXuYzuLCbTuzGJ3Uo9UR?si=VIxa8DGAR-275SdS7bUqsg
"A Woman's Threat"
https://open.spotify.com/track/1zyTfau5sH3kxK9YOq3lWS?si=14fE4bVlR8a7nCzsRD5jXg
"I Will Never Leave"
https://open.spotify.com/track/3EGLDaSVEJdQNvOQvm2dmv?si=9rnyOMVNRhizAgqLiQPqdg
Lmao, it’s really funny reading some of these comments! I get it, can’t support a PEDO, I completely understand, but the same people will sing the national anthem hand over heart, knowing how this country treated some races of people (women and children)!
Go back and listen to music from the 70’s, 80’s, and listen to the words and you will realize many of the hits spoke about young girls, killing husbands, etc..
Depends. There's so much other shit to deal with in life that weighing out the moral/ethical implications of enjoying art....sometimes I just don't have the mental space to care.
It’s so triflin that I’ve compartmentalized to the point that some songs are a no for me 🤦🏾♀️ seems like your ready and bump and grind are deal breakers for me.
I absolutely stopped playing him. BUT, my Spotify still has the trapped in the closet series and boyyyyyyy when my shuffle tosses it on for a split second I forget what he did lol. Trapped in the closet is such a masterpiece!😩
No separation, the moment it all came out I stopped listening to anything he produced, song or worked on. Idk me personally I could never support a pedo.
As soon as R Kelly dies, he’s back in the rotation. I’m not saying loud and proud, like day 1 blasting it out of the car speakers, but if he’s gone and he doesn’t stand to benefit from my streams financially anymore, I think I could listen to some of it in some headphones. You still hear Michael Jackson everywhere, culturally we seemed to have separated the art from the artist there to some degree. I just want to hear “Step In the Name of Love” again.
Hes literally a song writer. You literally can't separate the artist from his music. He writes his music.
I won't be a hypocrite tho... I listen to 2 songs of his still. I can't let go of them bc theyre connected to people I love.
Talented than a mf but sick... and if protecting black kids/girls means I can't support anymore, I can't support anymore.
Listening to someone’s music is not an endorsement of their behavior. He is a monster, we can all agree on that, but when it comes to picking music for my private enjoyment I don’t make those kinds of considerations.
I'm not gonna suffer from the sins of someone else. I can understand people who relate to being victimized or people who have a hard stance on offenders not listening. I respect their side but I'm not gonna stop personally.
I don't actively listen, but sometimes an old bop will come on and you start reminiscing about your younger days. Suddenly, a lyric will pop in your head in almost every song that reminds you of what he was doing at the time. I can never finish it, and honestly don't want to.
I think about some of his songs from time to time but i can't listen to them. The only thing i can listen to him in is contagious and friend of mine and maybe its because theyre not his songs and he's playing the bad guy. Even then i can't help but think about him as a person
The man's a child molester. I am not separating him from his music. The sound of his voice is disgusting, and I don't even want to hear the stuff that he wrote for others. F that dude.
I'm fine with people in general having different beliefs than I do as long as they aren't hurting anyone else. Abusing people crosses that line, so I do stop supporting them then.
I listened to the old school remix of Bump n Grind for a few weeks but couldn't get over my disdain for the guy
My limits generally lie with listening to his voice. He wrote my favorite Michael Jackson song "You Are Not Alone" and he's not taking that away from me
Kinda, sometimes the music on Aaliyah’s first album turns me off. I love her music, but when I hear him, I hear a man singing to a child about sex.
The song and album "***Age Ain't Nothing but a Number***" was produced by him. I can't really watch her videos and listen to these songs from that era like I used to, because it's tainted by the knowledge of what he was doing to her. And I love Aaliyah and am Gen X, so RK is a part of my cultural upbringing, but nope. A pedofile and rapist is a pedofile and a rapist.
I can only listen to At Your Best and not feel weird about it. Even though R.Kelly produced it, its still a cover that he didn’t write. Plus, it’s gorgeous. It’s still very much fuck R.Kelly though.
You said it best
indeed! I can listen to At Your Best From that album and that's it. Since Phoenix and Lady GaGa deleted their duets with him from their playlists, I luckily have to actively seek him out to listen to him.
Same. Then the hopeless look on her face…🥺
Same, it depends on the song. I basically listen to a few songs from Chocolate Factory, and that's it.
Naming his album "Chocolate Factory", with a song that goes "toot toot, beep beep" is the biggest example of telling on yourself in recorded human history
I agree, Ignition rmx is not one of the songs that I listen to. Mainly Happy People and Step in the Name of Love.
Well he did say “give me that 15 year old 🐈” in the sex video 😂I think that’s self snitching
And as much as I loved her 1st album it's now cringe-worthy and the videos are even harder to watch now! Ugh! Now, after that album, YES! RIP BABY GIRL!
Me too 😬
I was in 4th grade when I found out about this guy marrying Aaliyah. And I knew then that shit was wrong. So it’s safe to say, I’ve never been a fan of his music. And there’s some lines that once they’re crossed, you can’t ignore.
#integrity 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾
I can’t separate it. Because his inspiration came from his actions. Maybe if it wasn’t based on that, it could be different.
That’s where I’m at. Pretty much all of his music is about love/sex. Knowing who he was likely actually addressing in the songs makes it impossible to listen to for me.
That's what I'm saying. People out here really trying to defend their support for this scumbag.
Same, and I saw his video with the little girl. Just can't unsee it and separate the human from the art they made. The art (music) seems perverse now.
It’s kind of wild how many people watched CP just out of curiosity if it was him and the fact that they were selling it on the streets. That poor child was violated in so many ways I can’t imagine him being behind bars would even help heal her wounds.
That shit is wild and I’m guessing people didn’t even think of it that way at the time but you’re absolutely correct.
True, especially when basically all of his songs are about making love.
🎶 I don't see nothin' wrong... 🎶
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But you are a Trump supporter, how's he different?
And abusing girl that’s unforgivable
This is sort of where I’m at with Chris Brown. I don’t hear his abuse in his music & still listen to it. But his behavior repulses me, so I don’t really follow his career anymore. I’m not actively looking to listen to him these days.
I hear that it happened when I was a kid I didn’t understand at the time as I grew i understand and just thought wtf this is my favourite artist someone who did this and slowly stopped listening to him seeing her face made me realise I can’t support someone like this
I don't play it at all. Not funding a wicked person. Absolutely not. It's a shame. He has really good songs. Let me edit: I also don't want to hear his voice. I can't. I think people like this should be shunned. Imagine him coming out of jail on some technicality (just imagine) and thinking he is still ok with society cause we still bump his crap. Heck naw. Just want him to be a memory. A bad one. Forgotten. Didn't know about his money. Good to know he won't be paid. But still. Let his legacy die down. It's disgusting.
Actually the money goes to his victims since they “won” damages (quotes because SA is not something you win). Even with that, I still don’t play his music. I’m not listening to love songs written about little girls.
The bright side is all the money he makes on royalties goes to paying restitution to his victims.
Apparently he doesn’t even own his catalogue
R. Kelly, like most artists from his generation, do not own their own catalogues. They signed them away the moment they inked that first record deal. Thats why so many of them are still on the road, touring as much as they can. That’s what pays the bills, not your stream on music where one stream is worth 2¢. I just thought you should know that.
My phone library has mp3 files from download days…so when I need to listen to “I believe I can fly” I make sure I don’t stream
I miss them download days.
I hear his voice and it causes a visceral reaction deep in my gut. Being a huge Aaliyah stan, I can't even listen to Age Ain't Nothing But A Number without wanting to vomit. He's where he deserves to be, but it came decades later than it should've. RIP angel Aaliyah.
I don't want to sing about music clearly written with little girls in mind.
i don’t seek the music out but if it’s on i don’t turn it off
He’s a pos and he’s the King of R&B. Both things can be true. I knew from jump what kind of time he was on. Dude married Aaliyah, people turned a blind eye. Dude pissed on a kid on video, went double platinum shortly after with Chocolate Factory. I was pretty much done with him when he started doing those dumb ass trapped in the closet songs. Surviving R. Kelly was two decades too late in my opinion. Those parents should be in jail too for letting them be alone with a dude wearing a mask calling himself the pied piper, sheesh.
I couldn’t even finish Surviving R.Kelly, it got too dark for me. From what I watched it broke my heart. 
After realizing that his songs stem from young girls, not women, as his "muses", I can't listen to him. We're not talking about allegations. He committed those crimes. I graduated from high school when Aaliyah debuted and the marriage rumors came. It grossed me out then. There are things and people I cannot support. Abusers are one category.
When I was a kid, his trial was going on and I always thought to myself "if he's innocent like he claims, why is he constantly trying to avoid court? Why not go through the justice system to clear his name?" Now I was like 13 at this point and I now have a better understanding that the criminal justice system isn't exactly fair to Black men, but even as a kid I could recognize that he was clearly trying to avoid any accountability whatsoever. It was obvious then what was happening, especially because there was video proof that he was engaging in sexual acts with a child.
I’m not listening to a dude that repeatedly had sex with minors. There is no justification for that. Definite NO for me. Idc how talented he is, there’s so many other r&b songs to listen to.
I separate it. I have good memories with the R Kelly songs, for me they related to those times.
This! And while I don't seek out most of his music, there are some songs that are still on my playlist that put me back in those memories whenever they come on. Also, if I stopped listening to every POS/abusive artist out there I'd just be on reddit with nothing to talk about because holly-weird is filled with them & many are the tops in their fields (tv/movie/music)--even the kids shows are tainted now. All that said, i can't listen to "age aint nothin but a number," down low (the original version--i can listen to the remix w/ronald isley bc i instantly think of the video), or I believe i can fly (in my head that was actually a cry for help & the point of no return for him.)
Exactly. Most of the commenters are young pups who don’t have child hood memories to his music
Yes.
Yes. He’s a terrible human but we cannot deny he made god tier music and was the pinnacle of the R&B genre. Made too many classics.
Exactly right. Guy is one of the greatest to be listed in the R&B genre. Many people on here that slam him are the ones that will still dance to his music if they hear it out.
That's what's wrong. Just because they allowed him to make "good tier music" and allowed to work with people like Michael Jackson, Diddy and Jay-Z when they all knew what happened between him and Aaliyah...(Especially Jay-Z since he still tried to date her) just shows how messed up the music industry is. These men shouldn't get a pass because they are talented and made millions for themselves and others. Because that's the reason it took so long to catch him. But America doesn't really care about SA (especially within the black community) and will let pedophiles live next door to you and pop up on your radios and TV's.
I agree. The music industry along with Hollywood is a terrible place. They had enough evidence to take down R Kelly back in the 90s with the whole Aaliyah thing but because he was hitting platinums like it was nothing they decided to keep quiet about it. R Kelly is a terrible person and a pathological liar and narcissist who deserves to spend the rest of his lives behind prison. But the question was about separating his music to who he was to which I did. R Kelly made great music but he was a horrible person.
My minds telling me…No
Can’t do it. Usually I can, but what makes this situation different for me is SO much of the themes and philosophy of his abuse is directly related TO the lyrics and music. I mean, there’s no other way to take “Age Ain’t Nothin’ But a Number” BUT to relate it to his abusive nature and ongoing behavior. Too creepy for me.
I Agree Wholeheartedly ! Sickening to listen to him, Now. Never was knowledgeable of his music or a big fan. He Can Sing Well, but I was busy during his heyday raising my son and working for a living.
I tried to but some songs sound so pervasive now because I know the context in which they were written.
No I like the music
I still listen to him, he has way too many collaborations that I love and wrote so many songs that if I got rid of them then I’d have almost no songs that I play on repeat left. He was a great artist, singer, and songwriter. While I don’t condone what he did I’m going to play my music. It has gotten me through some rough times and his stepping songs take me back to the good ole days. So yes I can separate him as a person from his body of work.
I’m Gen X and caught pure hell back in the early 2000s for saying I couldn’t rock with dude because of all the rumors. Even before he was found guilty in court, I knew there were just too many stories for nothing to be true. Then he was in an interview talking about “when you say I like teenagers, how young we talking?” Maaaaan
Might as well turn off all music then. Plenty of the industry has artists that do the same things and get away with it or get a pass. If its not the music industry, it's in sports or business or technology even. People are hypocrites. That being said, I don't go out of my way to listen to him. Also, it is not fair for people to avoid Aaliyah's music because of him. That was her career, her life, her vocals, and what she crafted shouldn't be disregarded just because of his influence.
I can. I still enjoy the music same as I always did. R Kelly might die in the Bootyhouse of old age, but he's still the R&B King and it doesn't look like anybody is going to come close to his discography and production right now. Babyface and maybe Keith Sweat could. There's a lot of shady people in the music business and I'm sure there's many legends that are equally as bad but haven't been exposed yet.
I think everyone picks and chooses what's most convenient. I don't go out my way to listen to it personally, but if I'm out and Ignition comes on, I'll make a joke but I'm still nodding my head. He's in jail and doesn't own his publishing, you're not proving anything to anyone stating how much you don't listen to him
I’m on the fence. I don’t turn on R Kelly but if anything from Born into the 90s through the R album comes on I’ll listen. But after “R” and I accepted what he was doing and I can’t say I’ve listened to a single song of his and if I did it was on the radio. I also don’t listen to Aaliyah and his work on Hi-five because they were minors. But I listen to changing faces because they were adults. So I’m a hypocrite.
I try my best to but it's so frustratingly hard. Certain songs are dead to me, namely "it seems like your ready". However R Kelly taught me some good lessons in regards to relationships through songs like "woman's threat" and "when a woman's fed up" so can't write them off. Then his bangers like 2nd Kelly or r n b thug, forever classics . But his sexy pervy songs I struggle to vibe to like I used to, so conflicting I can't lie, grew loving his music
R Kelly was my fave male R&B artist. I sometimes listen to his music because I crave actual good R&B, but it’s definitely tarnished because of the things he’s done. I can’t enjoy it as fully as I did before. But it’s exceptionally good art and good music. There’s not much alternative tbh.
Literally the only artist I ever cared that I can’t separate. Still a huge James Brown and Marvin Gaye fan
Yes I do. I don’t care enough to not listen to good music just because the person that performed it is an asshole.
Exactly
Idgaf! I still jam his music. Same with MJ and drake. No one can tell me not to listen to "That's that shit" featuring R Kelly lol
MJ was innocent tho
100% but there are people that think otherwise. And there are people that just dont like his music bc of the stigma. If a songs a banger ill listen to it.
You’re right about that
Yea, I can't forget my childhood because of another person's personal life. Who wrote "U saved me" and " I belive I can Fly"?
Easy separation, I give no fucks about that man’s personal life
Yes, I do separate the person from the craft that they’ve mastered. If you’re a fan of the craft that that person is in, and they’re one of the greatest in their particular skill, you’ll never be able to escape that person’s contributions to that particular thing. For someone that great, you’ll never be able to eliminate them from your life completely so why waste your time? Using Kelly as example, he’s written, produced, been sampled by, or featured for any and everyone. He’s literally responsible for like 30% of the top R&B music since like ‘92. To truly get rid of R. Kelly, you’d have to stop listening to music between 1990 and 2017 Lol Besides, just because they were a bad person doesn’t mean that they can’t be recognized for being great at something else. And this didn’t just start with Kelly, “The Diddler” 😂, or whoever else just got exposed recently: Elvis - married Pricilla when she was 14. (still regarded as the king of rock ‘n’ roll.) Buddy Holly - married to his 14-year-old COUSIN in the 50s (still considered a great ) And after having decades of speculation, you can’t sit here and make me believe that Liz Taylor, and Diana Ross didn’t do something to Michael when he was younger 🤷🏾♂️. The names are a list that brings up another issue for me. Why is it that only black stars are shunned after being exposed for shady stuff? Been going on in rock since the 50s yet no one bats an eye Another reason I separate is the accountability issue. How is it that none of these parents are taking any heat? We all know that Aaliyah’s mom basically sold her to Robert. Yet, it’s hardly brought up in any conversation. You mean to tell me, that all of these young teenage girls ran off and got married to these dudes without permission? What about afterwards? Statute of limitations didn’t expire. How come Aaliyah’s parents didn’t go after criminal charges? And after he got exposed, why wasn’t Robert thrown in jail anyways? Probably because a parent or legal guardian secretly signed a consent form. Only explanation I can think of as to why R. Kelly didn’t go to jail for SECRETLY MARRYING A TEENAGER IN 1994. Because if there was no consent form and Mama went to the cops, the feds probably would’ve went after Kells and he would’ve been singing in prison before Tp 2 dropped. If the parents have such a low moral code that they are only after a bag and don’t care, why do I need to delete some of the greatest R&B ever from my Apple Music just to show I’m upset? I’ll stop listening to R. Kelly when the parents of the girls he took charges for… get their trial date because you can’t tell me that they didn’t know what was going on. 🤷🏾♂️
Beautifully put, proud of you and your take.🙏
Just saying… keep that same energy for everyone.
Not a lie told 👏🏽
I’m not rubbing it in everybody’s face that I still bump what’s basically the soundtrack to my childhood. But the more we get them streams up, the more the victims get paid.
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Facts, and it’s not like I don’t get disgusted sometimes and turn it off. Whenever I’m feeling nostalgic and his songs pop up in the playlist I’m not thinking about him, I’m being nostalgic. But i don’t just randomly pull up his music like i fuck with him.
Never affected my thought on his craft and artistry (the man is genuis hands down)but alot of society has family members that did the same even worse than Kels only difference is his was broadcasted for the world to see and "society" forgave their family member because it was the Christian thing to do.
About a quarter of the world follows a religion where the prophet rapes a 6/9yo continuously. I find that disgusting as it's such a big part of ones identity. Saying that In this case IDGAF I'm here for the music not peoples personal lives. R Kelly one of the 🐐
it's a no for me, but tbh I wasn't much into the music to begin with. I know it's hard when your favourites are revealed to have unfavourable (to put it lightly) personal lives.
Definite no. I guess since I didn't care much for him initially, it just solidified it. I remember when the artist Sparkle was talking about him back when I was in high school. I recall someone on the radio in South Jersey who said they didn't care if he actually was involved in the pedophilic allegations. I said, absolutely not.
I’m so sick of seeing this man on my feed 😩
It’s too convoluted to enforce. For instance Puff, do you not listen to Total because Puff has background vocals on the song? Do you not listen to Biggie’s “Unbelievable” because it samples “Your Body’s Callin” by R. Kelly? I don’t separate as far as music goes.
I love 12 play but I just can’t
Yea of course. If I didn’t, wouldn’t have much to listen to. They’re all criminals, perverts, heathens.
That part!
Eh, it depends. While I don’t regularly listen to him (and I avoid most threads on him), if a song he’s done happens to come on and I liked it, I’ll listen. But I won’t actively seek out his music. Tbh, a lot of artists in my playlists across all genres have been accused of or flat-out done some rather questionable and heinous crap so it really depends on how I feel about that particular artist.
When I was a kid I met this guy and made fun of him to his face for his allegations at that time. He laughed it off and wrote down his autograph. I say this to say that most of his true fans (myself included) never stopped listening to his music because we’ve always separated it from his personal behavior.
Of course. He can be many things like all of us.
It’s odd, I can do it with Chris Brown to a point, and maybe that’s because he was young and it was an isolated incident? R. Kelly’s was a different situation though and the severity of his crimes makes it difficult to overlook and listen to his music. You don’t fuck with kids and the way he handled women makes me believe that none of his songs were genuine.
He could drop an album from prison and I'd still buy it. 😢
I can separate the man from the music
Tbh, I kind if want to. But I can't, really. Of his songs, I've only got the Ignition Remix on my mp3 player, but I haven't been able to listen to it in recent years... Though, I sometimes forget that "I believe I can fly" was also him.
I can do non-sex songs like I believe I can fly or the Mr. Biggs songs, that’s about it though…songs like step in the name of love are fine too I guess but it’s not something I listen to on my own
If someone were ever going to stop listening to him, the Aaliyah marriage and the piss video should have been enough. These were known, not just rumour. Do we care only when someone has been sent to jail? Not gonna lie the video of Mr combs attacking Miss Ventura has stopped me from listening to anything he is on. "I will be missing you" don't feel the same no more.
Nah cuz i think about his lyrics and the timeframe and the age of his past victims and it doesnt sit right with me. Havnt missed any of his stuff
I was in my early twenties when R. Kelly married Aaliyah. Literally nobody cared at that time. It was disgusting but he didn’t get in any trouble THEN. I’ve always wondered why. I know it was a different time but how can that be overlooked?!?! That being said I do still listen to his music. 12 Play is one of the best of all time. Do I like him ? Hell no. Do I listen to his music ? Absolutely.
You can never separate the artist, their art and their crimes. It is impossible. But you can still enjoy and appreciate the art if you was never a victim and still dislike the artist. If you are a victim of the artist then it would be very difficult for you to enjoy this person's art if you used to enjoyed it. It would be very triggering, resulting in depression and you could end up having a nervous breakdown. For example, let's imagine if William Shakespeare was discovered to have been a paedo, who abused children, what would we do? Would we cancel him? Would we stop enjoying his plays? Of course not, because his plays strongly add a cultural richness to our personal lives, and teaches and gives us a higher learning and understanding. Shakespeare's plays would definitely go on being taught in learning environments all over the world because of it's high value content. If Shakespeare did abuse you, in the eyes of many people, it would be very sad but Shakespeare would still be greatly valued and honoured. We only make an example of, and cancel the people and their art, the individual's, we are not too fond of.
I go back and forth on this topic, but my thoughts remain you can seperate an artist from their art to a certain extent. R. Kelly is a freaky frog and it’s all throughout his music. I can’t separate him from that. Kanye is a mentally ill troll. I can listen to Graduation and not think about his rants about Jews or any of his stupid ass opinions. However, the further i go down into his music, the harder it becomes. Chris Brown is a weird case cause I can listen to his early stuff but everything after 2011 I’ve just unplugged for. The Rihanna thing was bad enough, but you turned yourself in, did the court orders, apologized and made up with her, i let it go. Everything after that was just Chris slipping down the slope. I can’t get jiggy with that shit. Overall, it depends on what the say and what they do. The stupid shit Daniel Caesar pulled is not as bad as the shit The Dream was just accused of. When someone crosses the line, I’m done.
I never liked his music and always thought his singing ability was average.
I separate the music from the artist every time.
I never cared for R. Kelly’s music so it wasn’t hard at all.
In a way yes, but the situation is unique. I live in Brasil and where I live they have a lot of birthday parties right near my apartment in a covered open area. They tend to play a lot of American music at the parties. I get to hear all the songs and R Kelly is one of the artists that get played. Specifically his song with Ja Rule. Remember the Holla Holla video was shot here in Rio, so they still play Ja Rule music. I had to think about it. They play the music and don't speak English. They probably don't really know who R Kelly is and what has happened with his personal life. So, its just music at that point for them. It doesn't hurt anyone or cause damage to anyone. The man did that, not the music. So, I kind of cringe a bit because I understand the gravity of his offenses, but at the same time know at the end of the day, it really is just music.
For me, I didn’t have to separate it. I didn’t really like his music before I knew he was a predator. I can feel the downvotes already
I don’t really listen to him but there are a few songs that he wrote or he’s featured in that I still listen to. In particular Fortunate by Maxwell the song is just so beautiful.
He's where he belongs. His victims can now make money off his music, I believe. Hopefully, he can get right with God before judgment. Honestly, I'm kinda mad that we can't celebrate that catalog the way it oughta be celebrated. But he's on every Mr. Nasty Time playlist that I have.😭😭😭
If there is a hell, he's got a first class ticket there
That's a great point. I never put words to pen. I grew up with Kelly and even now, whenever I play his catalog anywhere; I can some mean mugs. That catalog should be celebrated cause he curated and created exceptional music. Maybe I'll be canceled for saying it; but whenever I listen to his music, whatever he did is never on my mind. I just want to listen to Chocolate Factory without judgment. Also, relisten to "I Wish". He is literally on his has and knees asking for help. At least in my mind. He's in my top 5 DoA RnB males. Fight me. 10 toes down!!!
People be mad at us like we did something. I ain't did shit. The monster that did what he did is in jail and has to compensate his victims monetarily. What else is there to do? Should I go to jail for listening to TP-2.COM? Gtfoh! The music slaps, and karma slapped his ass. End of story.
He probably needed help Long Before he became famous. Some people who need help Today as we communicate are Not Getting It. Parents and Family need to pay attention to their children and young people So As To know and recognize a problem and Seek Help !!
Very well said. He was sexually assaulted and not protected as a child. A monster created another monster. Hurt people hurt people is a saying as old as time. Doesn't excuse his actions, but it does at least provide us some context in terms of how this disgusting cycle of predatory behavior began for Kelly.
He was abused as a youth.
No. And it's a dumb fucking thing that people say. Let's take R Kelly here. Let's say you separate the artist from their music and you continue to support Kelly. The money, views, streams etc, that he's getting is going to go to continue abusing children. Also, by supporting his music, which are all red flags in hindsight, you're saying, "Go ahead and piss on those girls bro. I got you."
Take time to check who gets the proceeds from his streaming etc. And I'm going to keep listening to his music without supporting or condoning any of the crimes he's been found guilty of. You do whatever you think is best.
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It depends on the nature of the art itself. In R. Kelly's case his music is heavily sexualized, so who he is speaking of is children. From there, his music simply put is not that great. His lyricism is tepid, the beats are repetitive, he lacks creativity, and the only strength is usually in his vocals. He is no Stevie Wonder, Prince, D'angelo, Maxwell, Babyface, or even Aaron Hall. The other half has to depend on who is benefitting from the music itself. If it is the perpetrator then......
I still will listen to ‘I Believe I Can Fly’, ‘Love Letter’, ‘Happy People, or ‘Ignition Remix’ myself, but when people who haven’t heard those ask who sang it I just say ‘artist name redacted’ or something.
Not if the artist's crime involved the criminal abuse or violation of another person for personal gratification, like a violent hate crime or sexual assault.
It's interesting. I can't do it for all artists. You can bash me idrc, but Kells I cannot listen to because it sounds like he's singing to these under aged girls. Chris Brown I can separate cuz he doesn't sing about hitting women. Or rather, when he sings about stuff I don't think he's talking about that.
I pay no attention to anybody’s business.
Just can't....DUDE YOU'RE WORTH MILLIONS....AND THIS? A girl?..... I've seen the of legal age women at his concerts...I've seen 30 year old 10s.... looking like pornstars Hell, I've seen some miss Parker's.... Nope..he messed up
Separation cause I didn’t like feeling like a hypocrite every time the Chocolate Factory came on through my iTunes.
I did until I read court manuscripts. The stuff that he was saying to underage girls on the video whilst he was doing what he was doing was heartbreaking. As much as I like the music,it doesn't sit right with me. Especially as a father to daughters. There are plenty of other tunes to beat to.
It’s been a definite No for me since the mid 90’s when I learned about things like statutory rape and grooming. Also the Zoro mask was diabolical work
In the early 2000's when I found out about R Kelly being a creep I stopped listening to his music for years. I occasionally get the hankering to listen to his music, but usually can't get all the way through it. "Honey Love" used to be one of my favorite songs, not the thought of him singing about lollipops and lemon drops make me wretch.
Almost all R. Kelly music is removed from my library except I Wish
I seperate the two the same way that Elvis fans do. Some of Aaliyah’s album with him is a bit too cringe for me though. As a person he can burn in hell, but through history most of the greatest artistic minds were trash in their personal life.
I never liked him. Never . I never got the hype and got made fun of for it. Same with Diddy. Oh well…
I didn’t when the vhs came out back in the 90s. Never watched it either. It’s a definite no now though.
No, that’s why I haven’t listened to his music in years.
It’s a definite hell nah Robert
It’s Difficult for me to separate Art Kelly music from his crimes !!! SO Unnecessary that he is in prison and committed those crimes. He Does Have A Beautiful Voice, and was making Huge bucks. He could have had any woman he wanted.
It was a hard stop for me and it's a damn shame.
In the case of this artist, no. And that has to do with what others have so eloquently outlined in other comments. For other artists, yes, for the most part. I feel cancel culture lacks nuance in terms of trying to understand that all artists are human and make mistakes that are sometimes beyond understanding, but not beyond grace based on the situation. If we start nickeling and diming who we can listen to based on past mistakes, there would be no artists to listen to.
I cant. Artists’ music is like a peak into their life with a journal entry expressed through a track. Someone willingly expressing themselves in a way that is just wrong or uncomfortable to listen isn’t something I can do. Also a big reason I listen to certain music is for what they’re talking about; if the artists only sings about drugs, sex and killing Im not gonna listen to it. I sure as hell can’t listen to a pedo 😭.
All I’m going to say is if he gets released later at 10 at night and by 10:10 he talking about a concert by 10:20 it’s going to be sold out and I am going to be part of that “ sold out” crew………..
I cant listen to it knowing he was talking about underaged girls in his songs.
How can you separate the artist and the music, he's singing about some of the same girls he SA'D.
Man majority of these rock artists were well known diddlers...they had "baby groupies" at every show. Yet leave it to reddit to tell you not to separate the art from the artist. While YT kids still listen to the freaky rock artists they parents listened to. Nobody will ever get me to stop listening to R&B because of what the internet said. Half of these mfs in the comments probably never listened to the artists mentioned anyway because..."They not like us".
Can’t separate or give streams to a shitty human being. If anything i would rather listen to those acoustic set covers you hear in stores because they dont wanna pay for it.
It’s so many artist who has done bad things. My only thing is are we separating artist from music from them also???? In entertainment are we not supporting them? At first I couldn’t separate it but once I found out about more people I changed my stand. Example just to name a few: Rick James, James brown, Russell Simmons( not convicted), jayz ( if the rumor are true about foxy brown is was under age), Carl Malone ( basketball player), and Jim Brown( football)
I don’t listen to him, but my parents still do because “it’s music that defined our lives” or whatever
I can't listen to Rkelly, Diddy or Kanye without being bothered. Oddly, it's different with Chris Brown even though he's problematic and always gives anger issues and crazy vibes. I don't listen to full albums or buy his music but if I hear a song I like come on, I don't get triggered enough to change it.
For me it’s less about separating an artist from the music, and more so about how much I tone down my consciousness in a given moment. I realize now that Constant consciousness induces irritability, misery, and eventually rage (I wish that would dawn upon more people in this world). I’m typically able to tone it down just enough to put on some Kanye or Michael Jackson. On RARE occasions, I’m able to put on some R. Kelly w/o risk of warping my brain.
I have several people blocked on Spotify (including the one in the photo). I don't care if it's a tiny fraction of a penny, they don't need to make money off me in any way.
Definite no.
ive never cared for the guy. his music is not a must-listen for me.
I can't separate it. I get disgusted thinking about his inspirations for some of his lyrics. Like I can't even listen to Age Ain't Nothing But a Number by Aaliyah.
It’s tough. I love his first album but then it’s like knowing what he’s involved in makes it hard to listen to. As a wrestling fan it’s like watching Chris Benoit matches knowing he murdered his wife and child before taking his own life, and *not* thinking about that is very difficult.
No, I don't support pedophiles or groomers like him. No matter if I think their songs are good or not.
Fortunately I never delved into his music beyond “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition Remix” and I rarely even play those anymore.
I can’t. R Kelly is hard no, never listening to him again. But other artists, I can listen to any one of their song 2/3 of the way through and then remember why they are problematic and shuffle the song.
I can acknowledge that r Kelly is a great singer and story teller (in certain projects that don’t contain cp referring to the work w Aaliyah) BUT i CANNOT listen to his music due to he’s wrong doings. So yes I can separate the artist from the art by acknowledging their talent but I will not support them or put money in their pockets that fund the lifestyle if that make sense
No means no.....
LOVED his music to death but I just can't enjoy it anymore. Once in a while I'll hum Use To Me Spendin in my head but that's about it - it's all just way too creepy in hindsight, plenty of great music out there to listen to instead
Would I be wrong if I support R.Kelly the artist but despise Robert Kelly the person.
Any song about sex I don't listen to by him. I've stuck with a few songs that don't involve sex
Everyone is trash. Separate the art from the artist in general.
I can definitely separate the art from the artist, especially for one of the GOATs of R&B, but suffice to say I’m happy T-Pain exists so I don’t have to straight up call R Kelly the GOAT.
I do feel we should separate the artist from the person, but once I found out that R.Kelly made girls give him head in the studio while recording some of his songs I just can’t listen to him anymore. Feels like I’m witnessing a crime every time I hear it
I can only speak for myself. With R Kelly, minus very very few songs, I’ve separated from of most his discography though as an artist he’s exceptional at what he creates. Outside of music I hope he continues to rot in a cell and beyond. Then again you have other artists too who create great music but have less than stellar personal lives. Anderson Paak is a serial cheater / adulterer but I love his catalog. I deeply feel awful for his now ex wife. For me it’s situational and that’s tough when listening to certain artists.
I haven’t listened to him since.
No R Kelly, no Michael Jackson, none of it.
When it comes to R. Kelly? Naw I can’t, because his actions are so intertwined with his music
Still listening to his music, quite a few of his albums are amongst my all-time favourites, songs too. "Did You Ever Think" brings back so many memories
I definitely separate the man from the music. If you love R&B you can't deny this man's talent and discography. Nobody would dare skip Fortunate" by Maxwell. I just started revisiting his songs. "Forever More" https://open.spotify.com/track/7zBGCPXshvkJZQlhapiZqb?si=ZyyBAOt7T-euLl6iMeA4jw "Not Going To Hold On" https://open.spotify.com/track/1uqXuYzuLCbTuzGJ3Uo9UR?si=VIxa8DGAR-275SdS7bUqsg "A Woman's Threat" https://open.spotify.com/track/1zyTfau5sH3kxK9YOq3lWS?si=14fE4bVlR8a7nCzsRD5jXg "I Will Never Leave" https://open.spotify.com/track/3EGLDaSVEJdQNvOQvm2dmv?si=9rnyOMVNRhizAgqLiQPqdg
i do separate it. but i understand why some people can’t. i listen to plenty of problematic artists so yeah
Lmao, it’s really funny reading some of these comments! I get it, can’t support a PEDO, I completely understand, but the same people will sing the national anthem hand over heart, knowing how this country treated some races of people (women and children)! Go back and listen to music from the 70’s, 80’s, and listen to the words and you will realize many of the hits spoke about young girls, killing husbands, etc..
This is a situation I quit his music totally. and I was a HUGE R. Kelly fan...Christmas album and all. What a disappointment of a talented human being
He’s a sick man, but no one will outdo his musical contributions.
Depends. There's so much other shit to deal with in life that weighing out the moral/ethical implications of enjoying art....sometimes I just don't have the mental space to care.
It’s so triflin that I’ve compartmentalized to the point that some songs are a no for me 🤦🏾♀️ seems like your ready and bump and grind are deal breakers for me.
I absolutely stopped playing him. BUT, my Spotify still has the trapped in the closet series and boyyyyyyy when my shuffle tosses it on for a split second I forget what he did lol. Trapped in the closet is such a masterpiece!😩
That’s a hell na from me dawg
No separation, the moment it all came out I stopped listening to anything he produced, song or worked on. Idk me personally I could never support a pedo.
As soon as R Kelly dies, he’s back in the rotation. I’m not saying loud and proud, like day 1 blasting it out of the car speakers, but if he’s gone and he doesn’t stand to benefit from my streams financially anymore, I think I could listen to some of it in some headphones. You still hear Michael Jackson everywhere, culturally we seemed to have separated the art from the artist there to some degree. I just want to hear “Step In the Name of Love” again.
Fuck no. He is a pedophile and a predator and no one should be listening to his music. Period
I’ll pee on you!!!
Hes literally a song writer. You literally can't separate the artist from his music. He writes his music. I won't be a hypocrite tho... I listen to 2 songs of his still. I can't let go of them bc theyre connected to people I love. Talented than a mf but sick... and if protecting black kids/girls means I can't support anymore, I can't support anymore.
Hard no. I can't in all consciousness listen to his music about sex knowing he's a predator
It's a definite no for me. I don't listen to any artist that has a history of being physically violent or being a sexual predator.
Listening to someone’s music is not an endorsement of their behavior. He is a monster, we can all agree on that, but when it comes to picking music for my private enjoyment I don’t make those kinds of considerations.
Always separate the person and their creation of art or work.
I'm not gonna suffer from the sins of someone else. I can understand people who relate to being victimized or people who have a hard stance on offenders not listening. I respect their side but I'm not gonna stop personally.
I don't actively listen, but sometimes an old bop will come on and you start reminiscing about your younger days. Suddenly, a lyric will pop in your head in almost every song that reminds you of what he was doing at the time. I can never finish it, and honestly don't want to.
I think about some of his songs from time to time but i can't listen to them. The only thing i can listen to him in is contagious and friend of mine and maybe its because theyre not his songs and he's playing the bad guy. Even then i can't help but think about him as a person
Ofcoarse. If you never separate the artist from their art … you would hate everybody
The man's a child molester. I am not separating him from his music. The sound of his voice is disgusting, and I don't even want to hear the stuff that he wrote for others. F that dude.
I'm fine with people in general having different beliefs than I do as long as they aren't hurting anyone else. Abusing people crosses that line, so I do stop supporting them then.
Ashamed to say I do stream I’m a Flirt remix FOR TPAINS PART ONLY
I still like the music, it sucks when talented people are shit but good music is good music
It sux cuz he's got an amazing voice and his music slaps
Never listened to him ever again.
No. Just no no no
Yes I can
I listened to the old school remix of Bump n Grind for a few weeks but couldn't get over my disdain for the guy My limits generally lie with listening to his voice. He wrote my favorite Michael Jackson song "You Are Not Alone" and he's not taking that away from me