A defiant R. Kelly took the stage Friday night in North Carolina, in spite of efforts to silence him over his treatment of women, and had barely begun performing when the bone-rattling background beat stopped playing.
鈥淚鈥檝e been through a lot of (expletive)鈥� this week, he said. He thanked his fans, 鈥渇or y鈥檃ll to fight for me all these years.鈥� He said someone had asked him to tone down his act.
And then he launched into his sexually suggestive repertoire. At one point, he rubbed a fan鈥檚 cell phone between his legs. He persuaded another to wipe his face and crotch with a towel.
Women鈥檚 groups had urged the Greensboro Coliseum to cancel, days after Kelly was disinvited from a concert in Chicago. Spotify announced it would no longer stream his music in its curated playlists. Other streaming services appeared to be demoting his music as well.
Kelly denies abusing anyone and faces no current criminal charges, and his fans weren鈥檛 giving up on their R&B superstar.
鈥淓verybody has some skeletons in the closet. I鈥檓 not going to tear him down, every good thing he does, because of something negative in his life,鈥� said Clarissa Kelley of Lancaster, South Carolina.
The Greensboro concert was among the R&B singer鈥檚 first performances since the #MuteRKelly movement accelerated boycott efforts in recent weeks, with help from the Time鈥檚 Up campaign against sexual harassment and assault.
Protesters gathered outside the Greensboro Coliseum and criticized arena officials for declining to meet with a coalition of women鈥檚 groups that signed a letter citing a 鈥渓ong term history of sexual misconduct鈥� by Kelly.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for the black community to stand up and hold him accountable for his actions,鈥� said Omisade Burney-Scott, with the Sistersong, a reproductive rights group.
R. Kelly is one of pop music鈥檚 best-selling artists, with hits including 鈥淚gnition,鈥� 鈥矷 Believe I Can Fly,鈥� 鈥砈tep in the Name of Love,鈥� 鈥砈ame Girl鈥� and 鈥淏ump N鈥� Grind.鈥� He鈥檚 also written hits for Celene Dion, Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga.
He鈥檚 written classic love songs and even gospel music, but he鈥檚 defined by sexually explicit songs such as 鈥淔eelin鈥� on Yo Booty,鈥� 鈥砓our Body鈥檚 Calling Me,鈥� and 鈥淪ex Me.鈥�
He was acquitted in 2008 of child pornography after a video circulated appearing to show him having sex with a teenage girl. But as he continued to score hits and sell out stadiums, more women have come forward in recent years accusing him of sexual misconduct.
Kelly had been scheduled to be among the performers at a May 5 concert in Chicago, but was dropped as efforts by organizers of #MuteRKelly gained attention with support from Hollywood鈥檚 Time鈥檚 Up campaign.
Spotify, citing its new policy against hateful content and conduct, announced Thursday that Kelly鈥檚 music is no longer available on the service鈥檚 owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations. His music can still be found by those who search for it, but Spotify will not promote it.
Kelly鈥檚 management protested the move in a statement to The Associated Press.
鈥淩. Kelly never has been accused of hate, and the lyrics he writes express love and desire,鈥� the statement read. 鈥淢r. Kelly for 30 years has sung songs about his love and passion for women. He is innocent of the false and hurtful accusations in the ongoing smear campaign against him, waged by enemies seeking a payoff. He never has been convicted of a crime, nor does he have any pending criminal charges against him.鈥�
