A jury convicted R. Kelly; will his music face consequences?

NEW YORK – Will a transgression condemnation bash to R. Kelly's euphony what years of disfigured allegations couldn't?

It's improbable that Monday's infinitesimal of justness — erstwhile a federal assemblage successful New York recovered the 54-year-old R&B superstar blameworthy of each 9 counts successful a enactment trafficking proceedings — volition mean overmuch for his fans, fixed each the atrocious things they had learned already, immoderate observers say.

“The lines person already been drawn," said Jem Aswad, lawman euphony exertion for the commercialized work Variety, who has been covering R. Kelly for 20 years. "The radical that are going to perceive to R. Kelly’s euphony are inactive listening to it. I don’t deliberation a blameworthy verdict is going to alteration their minds.”

Still, advocates anticipation the transgression condemnation brings a motivation reckoning.

Tarana Burke, laminitis of the #MeToo movement, understands however irresistible the euphony of R. Kelly tin beryllium for radical who grooved to songs similar “Ignition," but said, “People should conscionable person a 2nd thought astir the connection that it sends.”

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“This procreation is precise wide astir who R. Kelly is, right? These young radical person travel up with the accusation that this idiosyncratic is simply a perpetrator, right?" Burke said. "And if we can’t propulsion past our idiosyncratic likes and desires to creation to a opus for the involvement of sending a connection to these small girls and small boys, astatine immoderate constituent I’m conscionable going to gully a line.

“I don’t privation to enactment idiosyncratic who volition origin this benignant of harm successful my community. I conscionable impulse radical to deliberation astir that,” she continued. "Is it truly worthy it?”

Kelly had agelong managed to debar nonrecreational consequences amid decades of reports of intersexual maltreatment of young women and children, from his amerciable matrimony to R&B phenom Aaliyah successful 1994, erstwhile she was conscionable 15, to a 2002 apprehension successful which helium was accused of signaling himself sexually abusing and urinating connected a 14-year-old girl.

The #MeToo epoch and the 2019 docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly " saw his euphony downgraded by streaming services and subjected to boycotts, and Kelly dropped by his label, but it inactive remains wide disposable and draws millions of play streams.

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The Grammy winner, erstwhile called the King of R&B, has had a twelve albums scope platinum oregon aggregate platinum status. His biggest hits see “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Bump N’ Grind.” His songs ranged from explicit to romantic, fashionable some successful the clubs and astatine weddings.

The radical helium has worked with are a who's who of fashionable music, among them Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Quincy Jones, Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson.

His popularity took a deed arsenic allegations mounted successful the past 5 years. His past 3 songs to illustration connected Billboard’s Hot 100 peaked successful 2013, including a duet with Lady Gaga called “Do What U Want” and “PYD” with Justin Bieber. He hasn’t had a deed scope the Hot 100 since then, contempt releasing 2 albums and respective singles. He has had much occurrence connected different charts.

According to MRC Data, formerly Nielsen Music, a information supplier that powers Billboard’s charts, Kelly’s airplay spins and assemblage dropped importantly betwixt 2017 and 2021, and integer income followed a akin pattern.

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However, his streaming on-demand numbers person remained astir the same, averaging much than 6 cardinal per week for astir of 2021.

A radical of fans who proceed to backmost him blasted his euphony extracurricular the courthouse Monday, with 1 shouting, “We’re not giving up connected R. Kelly!”

Neither Spotify nor Apple Music responded to questions Tuesday astir whether they would modify their usage of R. Kelly’s euphony connected their platforms.

Spotify has made specified a determination earlier but got pushback.

In 2018, amid the momentum of the #MeToo question and a run to #MuteRKelly, the work removed his euphony from playlists aft establishing a caller argumentation connected hatred contented and hateful conduct. His euphony was inactive available, but Spotify stopped promoting it.

Yet arsenic galore pointed retired astatine the time, the past of pop, R&B and stone euphony is overloaded with artists who not lone sexually abused underaged girls, but besides celebrated it successful their songs.

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And legendary shaper Phil Spector, whose hands are connected classical hits disposable everywhere, was a convicted murderer.

“These benignant of lines of morality are hard to draw, and Spotify recovered that retired precise quickly,” Aswad said. “You’re looking astatine wherever you gully the line. If it’s going to be, Did idiosyncratic get convicted? Convicted of what? A felony? What if idiosyncratic stole a car?"

But erstwhile Lifetime aired “Surviving R. Kelly” aboriginal successful 2019, moves against him were inevitable. His RCA statement dropped him, and Lady Gaga apologized for moving with him and took their duet disconnected streaming platforms.

At the highest of Kelly's success, Aswad said, the luck helium amassed helped him combat the stories astir him, and radical who made wealth with him made them little apt to wantonness him.

But his finances look to person been successful superior decline. Crain’s Chicago Business reported that a $2.9 cardinal foreclosure was filed connected Kelly’s suburban Chicago mansion successful 2011, and it was auctioned disconnected successful 2013 for $950,000. The Chicago Sun-Times reported astatine the clip that helium owed the IRS much than $4.8 million.

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He was evicted from 2 Atlanta-area homes implicit much than $31,000 successful 2018, and the pursuing twelvemonth helium told a justice helium couldn’t wage $161,000 successful backmost kid support.

Kelly's assemblage is besides aging, and he's improbable to marque immoderate caller music, with a agelong situation condemnation a anticipation and much prosecutions awaiting successful different states.

It could beryllium that clip unsocial whitethorn bash what convictions, allegations and boycotts couldn’t.

“I deliberation arsenic generations spell on, it mightiness get muted much due to the fact that it volition slice into the background," said Gail Mitchell, enforcement director, R&B/Hip-Hop astatine Billboard Magazine. “As much generations, younger generations travel up of age, there’ll beryllium a separation. It’ll beryllium a bookmark that radical tin access. But the euphony astir apt volition benignant of slice away.”

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Dalton reported from Los Angeles. Hall reported from Nashville.

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See the AP’s full sum of the investigations into R. Kelly.

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