I wasn’t sure if I wanted to write an article on this topic or not. There are a lot of things I don’t know about this man and the stories that have been told about him. There are a few things I do know via hearsay but nothing solid. Honestly I feel sorry for this man and his victims. I feel sorry for him because I truly feel he needs help and people around him have enabled his behavior. I have read a few of the past stories about him online over the years and his childhood, and he has suffered sexual abuse and trauma which he has been vocal about. Whats crazy is, many people in his circle including celebrities and fans have took a blind eye to actions that he has and swept them under the rug. Now this document series comes out about him and victims that he has had encounters with are speaking out, but why has it took so long? Shame, embarrassment, or has the #metoo movement allowed us to be more comfortable with speaking out?
I can only speak from my opinion which should be took with a grain of salt because I do not know this man personally or his victims. I will say that being from Chicago myself, I heard stories of him going to High school basketball games, or just being at some of the local Chicago high schools. I never had an opinion on “why” but being that I graduated in 2001 from HS, this was the prime time of his career, he was a a huge celebrity in the city of Chicago. I never actually seen him at a high school but people that I knew who attended some of the schools he frequented such as Kenwood HS or Oak Park River Forest HS would see him all the time. When the sex tape came out back in 2002, I knew a few people who attended Oak Park River Forest HS which as the school the alleged 14 year old girl attended. Many of the people knew her and said that she was popular, had a new car which was paid for by R Kelly, and she played basketball so he would be at her games – weird. At the time the tape came out I believe she was a junior or senior and the tape had been made years ago, so a male friend of mine mentioned she switched schools once people started recognizing her from the tape. From what I understand her family was paid off by R Kelly and after he beat the case there was no other mentions of it, and everything was denied that she was apart of it. These are the stories I have heard about that infamous sex tape. I did see it way back then because some friends had a copy of it, and you can definitely tell it was him, no question.
I believe that many of the parents and young women were star struck, and I am pretty sure wanted to be in the presents of a celebrity or to be chosen as his protege. People look and love opportunity and many people will put pride, and self respect aside to obtain it, such as Reality TV stars. Lets be real – how REAL is reality TV and how much air time will you get if you are not willing to do something petty or demeaning for ratings? I look at it the same way, many of these women probably were taken advantage. It probably happens all the time by many OTHER celebrities, they just have not got caught or being protected. For example, Hugh Hefner is a common name, P Diddy – has been dating Cassie, and she was not at legal age, Tyga and Kylie Jenner…that was in the news for a while but then people turned a blind eye to it after they broke up. This mess has been going on for years. From what I can see in R Kelly’s case, these women were mentally manipulated and abused to an extent that they could not communicate with their parents or family. Why has this been going on so long, and why didn’t anyone speak up or do anything about it? Why now? It baffles me that it has taken so long for people to speak out or to have this man investigated. Everyone is to blame! Also why are there NEW women, these stories have been publicized about him for years stemming back to 2001.
Last I want to speak on his ex-wife Drea Kelly, something isn’t right about her. I feel like she has known that this mess was going on, and wanted nothing to do with the man but was willing to stay quiet as long as the checks started rolling in, and her bills was paid. Now that people are catching on, and women are speaking against him, I feel she is ready to jump on the band wagon when she could had spoke on this YEARS ago, especially if you are his ex- wife and have children with this man. I feel like she has been a victim of mental and physical abuse, and believe her story but why speak up when its convenient for you? Google her and review some of her past video postings online speaking on the situation. I will post an article I viewed on the Breakfast Club which gives a good insight on what one of the victims went through, I find her credible because she also testified back in his trial for the sex tape scandal. You can check the interview out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcTs_tqTqEE
These are just a few of my random thoughts! What do you think?? Follow me at piinkdiivablog on Instagram.
