R. Kelly: Singer to Sex-Trafficker

The singer of “I Believe I Can Fly”, Robert Sylvester Kelly or better known as R. Kelly a famous American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is now infamous as he was found guilty on September 27th, 2021 of nine counts which included racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, sex trafficking, and a violation of the Mann Act (restricts the transportation of any woman or girl over state lines or any place outside of the United States for immoral purposes). These allegations began 30 years ago and it is not until now that the victims are receiving justice. He was a sexual predator that preyed on young women, underage girls, and boys. He would arrange for the victims to travel with him to concerts and other events across the U.S. The victims shared their stories through the social media campaign #MuteRKelly and the Lifetime documentary series. There were over 45 victims that came to share their testimony during the trial. R. Kelly’s fame and fortune let him get away with these crimes for many years. Those in the industry, his peers, and the public turned a blind eye and let him continue on for many years. The systemic injustice of this case lies within the favoritism and the wealth of this predator. What he did was a crime and many knew that, but due to his fame, he was not convicted. Fame and fortune do not give you the privilege to do criminal acts and it does not make you invincible within the court of justice. It was not until the release of the Lifetime documentary “Surviving R. Kelly” that a true light was shined on his story. The release of the documentary ignited the start of his conviction.
This case of systemic injustice can relate back to deBeauvoir concept of “One” and the “Other”. R. Kelly is seen as the “One” because he is considered more essential and has power over his victims, the “Others” who were considered inessential in his eyes ultimately had their rights taken away from them and they were treated as if they were inferior. There was a sense of unequal social construction of gender between the women he violated and mistreated. He showed no respect for them and portrayed himself as a dominating figure with acts of superiority over them. He used his fame to take advantage of many women, and the people around him who witnessed his criminal acts let it continue due to his power stance over all others.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/celebrity/r-kelly-found-guilty-sex-trafficking-trial-n1280053
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-40635526

One thought on “R. Kelly: Singer to Sex-Trafficker

  1. This is such a well known controversy in the music industry that so many people knew about but nothing was ever done. It was unfortunately due to the power he had in society and media. Many think that celebrities are incapable of doing such crimes, but they are humans to and are capable of doing these dangerous attacks. It is very infuriating that a sexual predator is not held accountable until decades later, but many people who are falsely accused are actually sent away for decades.

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