R. Kelly has been followed by accusations of bad behavior for a long time, and the many, many allegations against him have been consistently swept under the rung. Like, decades ago, when he was alleged to have been seen on tape, urinating on a preteen. Or when, as The Root recalls, he was accused of scouring Chicago high schools, looking for his next pretty young thing. And also when he was married to a teenage Aaliyah.
But none of that — the years of scandals and allegations of abuse — were enough for one group of parents to keep their teenage daughters away from Kelly because you know, fame is more important than a child’s well being, apparently.
In an expose written by Jim DeRogatis for Buzzfeed, several parents speak out, accusing Kelly of keeping their daughters in a sex-obsessed, abusive cult. Three former members of Kelly’s inner circle tell DeRogatis that six women live in properties rented by the 50-year-old in Chicago and the suburbs of Atlanta. And that Kelly controls every aspect of their lives, “dictating what they eat, how they dress, when they bathe, when they sleep, and how they engage in sexual encounters that he records.”
One parent, who was thrilled that her “19-year-old daughter’s music career was going to make a major leap forward… thanks to the help of [Kelly]” wasn’t “overly worried” about her kid being in the presence of the R&B supersar, despite the many allegations that have been levied against him. “In the back of our minds, we were thinking [my daughter] could be around him if I was with her,” she said. “It didn’t really hit home. Even with the Aaliyah situation, now that I think about it, ‘Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number’ … but you don’t think about that. You grew up with the song, and you like the song.”
The parents have, of course changed their tune — now that they haven’t heard from their daughter in two years.
The entire report is totally worth reading. It’s completely harrowing and terrifying and confirms what has been confirmed before. Hopefully now, people will pay attention.
