The Nation Newspaper

Tag: R. Kelly

  • R. Kelly’s bank account in the red

    R. Kelly is in a financial bind after his failure to pay child support and rent on his infamous studio.

    One of Kelly’s accounts was left in the red after $150,000 was seized. According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Wintrust Bank contacted one of the singer’s creditors to inform them of insufficient funds and balance of negative $13.

    The publication stated that Kelly does have two other accounts with Bank of America that holds a total of $154,527.22 combined. However, those accounts were seized by the former landlord, except $625.

    The former landlord was awarded a $173,000 judgment, and in turn, subpoenas were sent to Sony, ASCAP, and other accounts where the singer holds money.

    The landlord then received $154, 527.22 from Bank of America. But, according to reports, he still wants the remaining balance. As a result, the landlord has requested that the judge release the remaining balance to settle the debt.

  • Sexual abuse: R. Kelly released after settling $100,000 bond

    Embattled R&B singer, R. Kelly, on Monday, pleaded not guilty to all 10 charges that he sexually abused four people, including three minors.

    He pleaded not guilty to the charges, in a plea entered by his attorney, Steve Greenberg, at the arraignment hearing before Cook County Associate Judge Lawrence Flood at Leighton Criminal Court, where he appeared in an orange jumpsuit.

    Hours after his arraignment, Kelly, 52, put up the $100,000 bond needed for his release and was spotted leaving Cook County Jail at around 5:30 p.m. local time.

    Many wonder how the singer was able to raise the money, as his finances are currently a “mess”, according to Greenberg.

    The Grammy-winning singer was arrested and charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse on Friday and spent the weekend behind bars after his bail bond was set for $1 million for which he could put up 10 percent of the total bond required in order to walk free.

    Meanwhile, Michael Avenatti, who is representing two of Kelly’s alleged victims on Monday said he has turned over to prosecutors a second videotape that he claims shows a 14-year-old girl engaged in a sex act with the singer.

    That video is about 55 minutes long and from 1999 or 2000, Avenatti said.

    Kelly’s next court date has been scheduled for March 22. 2019.

  • R. Kelly bond on sexual assault charges set at $1 million

    Grammy-winning singer R. Kelly, who has faced years of sexual abuse allegations, was ordered held on a one million dollar bond on charges that he sexually assaulted three teenagers and a woman, as prosecutors offered new details in the case.

    In Cook County court, prosecutor Jennifer Gonzalez said on Saturday that Kelly met one of the teenage victims during his trial on child pornography charges in 2008 when she sought his autograph after a day in court and repeatedly had sex with her between 2009 and 2010.

    Kelly was acquitted of the child porn charges.

    He met another victim at her 16th birthday party, Gonzalez said, and had sex with her in the first of many encounters in 1998 after telling her to take a taxi from school to his recording studio.

    A third charge is based on a videotape that purportedly shows Kelly and a 14-year-old girl engaged in sexual acts sometime between 1998 and 2001.

    The fourth victim was Kelly’s hairdresser, then 24, who said Kelly tried to force her to have oral sex in 2003 before ejaculating on her shirt, according to prosecutors.

    DNA testing linked the sample to Kelly, prosecutors said.

    Cook County Judge John Lyke, who called the allegations “disturbing,” set bail at $1 million for Kelly.
    The singer appeared in a black hooded sweatshirt and looked down as prosecutors outlined the case against him.

    He was not asked to enter a plea at what was purely a bond hearing, although his lawyer Steven Greenberg has described Kelly as “an innocent man.”

    The 52-year-old R&B singer, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was charged with a 10-count indictment on Friday, nearly two months after the Lifetime television network aired a six-hour documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly” in which multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct and abuse.

    The judge also ordered Kelly not to have contact with anyone under the age of 18 and to surrender his passport. Each count carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.

    Kelly is due back in court on Monday when a trial judge is expected to be assigned, a spokesman for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said.

    Greenberg told reporters that he expected his client to secure his release sometime over the weekend and described Kelly as “devastated,” even as he also denied the charges.

    “We haven’t seen any evidence, any reason to believe these allegations are credible,” Greenberg said. “He’s a rock star. He doesn’t need to have nonconsensual sex.”

    The video in question was apparently obtained by lawyer Michael Avenatti, known for representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her legal battle against President Donald Trump. Avenatti said he represents two victims and turned the tape over to authorities.

    Kelly, best known for his hit single “I Believe I Can Fly,” has for years denied accusations of abuse.

    In 1994, he married his 15-year-old protege, the singer Aaliyah, a union that was annulled months later because of her age. Aaliyah died in a plane crash in 2001.

    The 2008 child pornography case stemmed from a video purportedly showing Kelly having sex with an underage girl. A jury acquitted Kelly after concluding it could not be certain whether Kelly and the girl were the people shown in the video.

    “Surviving R. Kelly” touched off a new controversy when it debuted in January, prompting his record label, Sony Music-owned RCA, to end its relationship with the performer.

    “We are proud that Lifetime was able to provide a platform for survivors to be heard,” Lifetime said in a statement on Friday.

    Kelly, a three-time Grammy winner whose hits also include “Bump N’ Grind” and “Your Body’s Callin,” grew up in a Chicago public housing project where, according to his autobiography, he was sexually abused beginning at age 8. (NAN)

  • R. Kelly: DStv premieres scandals on crime channel

    The six-part series, “Surviving R. Kelly”, and crime documentary which chronicles the saga of Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in The Harvey Weinstein Scandal are two explosive shows premiering on DStv this February.

    Surviving R. Kelly premieres with a double bill on Wednesday, February 6, delving behind one of the biggest scandals in music to date – with women emerging from the shadows and uniting their voices to share their stories of abuse at the hands of musician R. Kelly. The show has already aired in the US this January and has met with reaction from international stars like Lady Gaga apologising for once collaborating with the singer (in 2013) to SA’s Pearl Thusi and Jimmy Nevis calling out for a boycott on him and for his music not to be downloaded or livestreamed.

    Celebrated as one of the greatest R&B singers of all time, the 52- year old’s career and playboy lifestyle has been riddled with rumours of abuse, predatory behaviour, and paedophilia. In 2002 he was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography but was acquitted of all charges in 2008.

    For the first time ever, survivors and people from R. Kelly’s inner circle, are coming forward with new allegations about his sexual, mental, and physical abuse. With over 50 interviews including civil rights activist Tarana Burke, musicians John Legend and Sparkle, talk-show host and former DJ Wendy Williams, ex-wife Andrea Kelly, brothers Carey and Bruce Kelly, and many others, the true story of R. Kelly’s controversial past is revealed beginning in 1970 through present day.

    The Harvey Weinstein Scandal premieres on February 13, and will examine the rise and fall of Hollywood media mogul Harvey Weinstein and other men in power. This documentary explores milestones from Weinstein’s life, career, relationships and rise to meg- stardom. It reveals the creation and many successes of Miramax and The Weinstein Company.

    On October 4, 2017, a New York Times article lit the spark detailing the personal stories of sexual assault victims of Harvey Weinstein. Now that spark has become a blaze and is shedding light on three decades of abuse by Weinstein and other dominant figures. The documentary takes a deep look inside Hollywood and the abuse by powerful men in the industry and includes exclusive interviews with people who knew Weinstein, women who have come face to face with him and exclusive re-enactment scenes.

     

     

  • Thousands sign petition to stop singer R Kelly’s concerts

    Thousands of people in Germany have signed a change.org online petition calling for two concerts by controversial U.S. singer R Kelly not to go ahead.

    On Friday, almost 22,000 people had signed the online petition, the motto of which is “Don’t give sexual offenders a stage.’’

    The petition calls for concerts planned in Ludwigsburg in southern Germany on April 12 and in the northern port city of Hamburg on April 14 to be cancelled due to allegations of sexual misconduct against the artist.

    In a six-part documentary series aired on Lifetime in the U.S., Kelly is accused of manipulating women and controlling their lives, in addition to numerous accusations of sexual misconduct.

    Read Also: R Kelly and RCA record label end ties

    However, the singer has rejected the allegations.

    Report says whether the protest will be effective remains to be seen.

    The concert organisers were not available for comment.

    A municipal official in Hamburg told dpa that a binding contract had been signed for the 7,000-seat venue Hamburger Sporthalle for April 14.

    It was up to the German agency organising the concerts to decide whether the concert should go ahead.

  • R Kelly and RCA record label end ties

    US singer R Kelly and the Sony-owned RCA record label have ended their working relationship, according to reports in US media.

    Variety website quoted a source as saying no official announcement of the decision was planned.

    The reported split follows decades of sexual abuse allegations brought against the 52-year-old Grammy-winning artist, all of which he denies.

    The allegations were the subject of a documentary, Surviving R Kelly, released earlier this month.

    The six-part documentary focuses on the women who have accused the singer of sexual misconduct over the years.

    It also details the relationship in 1994 between the late singer Aaliyah and R Kelly, who married him when she was 15 and he was 27.

    Despite being one of the most successful R&B artists in history, Kelly has been plagued by accusations of sexual misconduct since the 1990s.

    In 2008, R Kelly stood trial on charges of making a sex tape with an under-age female but was found not guilty.

    In July 2018, R Kelly released a 19-minute song called I Admit, which responded to the allegations.

    The track admitted to infidelity but denied claims of paedophilia and non-consensual sex.

    The track came after a BBC Three investigation sparked a #MuteRKelly campaign to limit his air-play.

  • R.Kelly: Accuser dares singer to take lie detector test

    One of the numerous women who accused R. Kelly of alleged abuse, Asante McGee, has challenged the RnB singer  to take a lie detector test live on national TV if he wants to prove his innocence.

    She had faced criticisms for her actions from Kelly’s fans, especially on a Facebook page called ‘Surviving Lies’ where the star is trying to prove his accusers are lying and “expose” them.

    McGee who met Kelly as a teen told TMZ she needed to speak out because of the courage she saw in other women who had come up with their own experience of the singer.

    The accuser who also featured in the docu-series, is the first target to be exposed by R. Kelly after video shared by the ‘Surviving Lies’ Facebook page featured an audio conversation that allegedly features her daughter and ex-boyfriend exposing her accusations. The voices on the audio have not been verified, but the page is claiming that it’s McGee’s daughter and ex-boyfriend.

    She says the first thing that needs to happen to save other girls she claims are trapped in his clutches is simple … people needed to wake up to the real person Kelly is. She says his longtime fans must stop supporting and pull the shudders back to see what’s really going on and, after that, hold him accountable for his alleged crimes.

    Reports from sources close to Kelly claims the singer intends to sue everyone involved in making the viral docu-series.

    Meanwhile, days after Lifetime’s “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries debuted with the stories of numerous women who’ve accused the singer of sexual and emotional abuse, “Surviving Lies” was removed Monday after attacks were posted on two Kelly accusers, Faith Rodgers and Asante McGee, both of whom spoke out in the series.

  • R Kelly made me write Gbona, says Toby Grey

    R Kelly made me write Gbona, says Toby Grey

    Adeyemi Tobiloba Maryam, aka Toby Grey, known for the hit track Gboju, recently premiered a new video titled Gbona, which she used to mark her 21st birthday. She revealed that the work, a love song, was inspired by international singer, R Kelly.

    She said: “The song is a love song, inspired by R Kelly, who is known as the ultimate love song king. What I did was to make it a different story from what we are used to hearing.”

    The rising artiste, whose single is presently gaining massive airplay also revealed in one of her interviews why she did a cover of Kiss Daniel’s song, Woju: “It wasn’t something I intended. I was just sitting with my producer, and we came across the song. I decided to do something on it. I was surprised by the response because it wasn’t something planned. If I had planned it, I would have been expecting so much like massive response, but I didn’t expect it. The fact that the response was huge came to me as a surprise. I said wow, people actually love, and accept it because sometimes people drop covers but they are not recognised, so I’m glad Gboju did,” she said.

    The 21-year-old final year student of the University of Lagos, who is also a song writer, will be at the Place Ikeja Grand Opening on Thursday, 28, May 2015, with other artistes like Dj Xclusive, Reekado Banks, and Korede Bello at an event tagged ‘Come Party With Toby Grey’.

    Toby Grey says her influences include Nneka, Asa, Leona Lewis, and Ciara.

  • R. Kelly avoids question over daughter’s transgender

    R. KELLY avoided a question about his daughter’s recent decision to ‘come out’ as transgender when asked about the news during an interview.

    Kelly’s youngest daughter Jaya, 13, made the announcement on Facebook.com earlier this month, revealing she is now going by the name Jay Kelly after identifying as a male since the age of six.

    The singer was asked directly about his child’s decision by a DJ at a radio station in Chicago, Illinois but failed to give a straight answer.

    When the WGCI-FM journalist broached the subject, he replied, “You don’t really wanna open it (the talk) up by saying my daughter is becoming my son, because if that were true… don’t even give the blogs that kind of credit. You know what I’m saying? Real talk.

    “As far as that’s concerned, always believe what you see… with your own eyes that is. Always believe what you see. That’s the best way to go about this business. I’ve heard a lot of things about a lot of people, and it was never true.”

    Kelly has two other children with his ex-wife Andrea.