Add Category
Updated
The Time's Up campaign is taking aim at R Kelly over allegations he has sexually abused women.
- R Kelly has denied accusations of sexual coercion and physical abuse
- Social media campaign #MuteRKelly seeks to stop singer's music being played and to cancel concerts
- Time's Up seeking action from Kelly's label, streaming services and Ticketmaster
The organisation devoted to helping women in the aftermath of sexual abuse issued a statement urging further investigation into Kelly's behaviour, which has come under closer scrutiny over the past year as women have come forward to accuse him of everything from sexual coercion to physical abuse.
Kelly has denied such charges.
"We demand appropriate investigations and inquiries into the allegations of R Kelly's abuse made by women and their families for more than two decades now," a Time's Up statement said.
"And we declare with great vigilance and a united voice to anyone who wants to silence us — their time is up."
The statement was issued by the Women of Colour committee within Time's Up, which includes Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay, TV mogul Shonda Rhimes and actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell.
The social media campaign #MuteRKelly has sought to stop his music from being played and to cancel his concerts, and Time's Up said it was joining that call.
Specifically, Time's Up is seeking action from RCA Records, Kelly's label; Spotify and Apple Music, which stream Kelly's catalogue; and Ticketmaster, which has sold tickets to his concerts. And it is calling for the cancellation of a May 11 concert in Greensboro, North Carolina.
RCA, Spotify, Apple Music and Ticketmaster did not immediately respond to email requests placed late Sunday night.
The Time's Up letter was addressed to women of colour. It started by saying: "We see you. We feel you. Because we are you."
"For too long, our community has ignored our pain. The pain we bear is a burden that too many women of colour have had to bear for centuries. The wounds run deep," the letter said.
"As Women of Colour within Time's Up, we recognise we have a responsibility to help right this wrong. We intend to shine a bright light on our WOC sisters in need."
Time's Up cited Bill Cosby's conviction last week for sexual assault as a step in the right direction but said it was "just a start".
In a further statement to The Associated Press, Smollett-Bell said: "We stand linked with our sisters and will no longer tolerate the predatory behaviour of R Kelly to go unchecked.
"This is a call to action to #MuteRKelly. His music must be turned down and the voices of these brave survivors must be heard."
The organisers of the #MuteRKelly movement said they were gratified that Time's Up was amplifying their cause.
"We will not stop until R Kelly is held accountable for his sexual misconduct against black girls and women, and we urge ALL artists, radio stations, record companies, streaming platforms and concert venues to cut ties with this accused predator," Oronike Odeleye, a co-founder of the movement, said in a statement.
R Kelly, whose hits include Ignition, I Believe I Can Fly, Step in the Name of Love, Same Girl and Bump N' Grind, is one of pop music's best-selling artists.
He has also written hits for artists ranging from Celine Dion and Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga. While he's written classic love songs and even gospel music, he is defined by sexually explicit songs such as Feelin' on Yo Booty, Your Body's Calling Me, and Sex Me.
He has long been accused of behaviour that has ranged from questionable to criminal. He wed a 15-year-old Aaliyah in 1994. The late singer had been his protege, the marriage was later annulled and the two refused to confirm that it even happened.
He was later accused of child pornography after a widely-circulated videotape appeared to show him having sex with, and urinating on, a teenage girl. He was acquitted of all charges in 2008 and continued to rack up hits and sell out stadiums around the country.
In recent years, as more women have come forward to allege misconduct, protests against Kelly have increased.
A woman told Rolling Stone last year that she was in a long-term relationship with the singer that was sexually and physically abusive. Parents claimed their daughter was being held by Kelly as part of a sex cult but their daughter, who was of age, denied their claims.
Recently a woman in Dallas filed a lawsuit against the singer claiming he gave her a sexually transmitted disease, and she claimed he was grooming her to be a part of a sex cult.
Kelly has denied all allegations against him. He hasn't released an album of new music since a 2016 Christmas album, and his last true album was 2015's The Buffet, which had no major hits.
An appearance at a concert in his native Chicago scheduled for Friday was cancelled after protests. In a Twitter post to his fans on Sunday, Kelly said he had no idea why his Chicago appearance was scrapped.
"I never heard of a show being cancelled because of rumours, but I guess it's a first time for everything and I apologise to you guys, and in the meantime, I'm going to try and get to the bottom line of it, as far as my lawyers are concerned," he said in a video.
AP
Topics: sexual-offences, music, arts-and-entertainment, united-states
First posted