The R. Kelly Trial: Quick Thoughts on Mr. Kelly

As many of you know, the great R&B singer R. Kelly is on trial for 14 counts of child pornography for allegedly videotaping himself “getting freaky” with an underage girl. As I watch R. Kelly's trial move forward, and all the madness that goes with it, I simply had some honest questions. If I could ask R. Kelly, I would, but I've never met the man. From what I've heard about him behind closed doors, I am honestly not sure if I want to.

I asked some of these questions when I hosted an XM Satellite Radio show on Power 169 a couple of years ago. That was a memorable show, since I interviewed Rev. Jesse Jackson on the same day that Martin Luther King's daughter died. Jesse has my respect and gave me a great compliment by stating that he feels that my work at Syracuse is helping to continue Dr. King's tradition. You can't buy that kind of encouragement with any amount of money.

I’ll start this by saying that I am not going to presume that R. Kelly is innocent or guilty. I’ll let the courts make that decision. I am also going to put aside the fact that I have a teenage daughter and the thought of R. Kelly or any old dude touching my child makes me want to get a little kung-fu-ish. I must also admit that R. Kelly is probably the most talented R&B singer in America. With all that said, I have some questions:

R. Kelly Question Number one:


Why did it take 6 years for this trial to get started? The alleged incident happened in 2002. To put it into context, in 2002 President Bush had an incredibly high popularity rating. The Iraq war had not yet started, the term “50 Cent” referred to an amount of money, no one could pronounce “Barack Obama” (and no one felt the need to try), and “facebooking” your friend sounded both violent and degrading. I am not sure how a man can be accused of a crime in 2002 and not go on trial until 2008? Since that time, long prison sentences have ended, freshmen have graduated from college, and newborn babies are now in elementary school. What kind of justice gives you 6 years before you go on trial for a serious crime?

R. Kelly Question Number two:

What’s the deal with the little kids dawg? I am not accusing Kelly of doing whatever it was that everyone thinks he did on the video that everyone has seen. I just need to understand why a grown man who can get any woman he wants goes hunting for women in the public school system. We all know about R. Kelly’s annulled marriage to 15-year old Aaliyah back in the day, so it’s not as if there isn’t a precedent. This chasing after super young women thing doesn’t make any sense. But then again, it almost never does to people who don’t do it.

R. Kelly Question Number Three:

Does the creation of a slamming album wash away all sins? It seems to me that the quality of R. Kelly’s music over the past several years has led to the public simply forgetting about the fact that there is evidence that this man might be a child molester. Yes, I believe in presuming innocence, but someone should have gone through the process of figuring out if he might be guilty. I once had a conversation with a high powered executive from one of the top radio stations in Chicago. I asked him why the Chicago stations conveniently forgot the indignant stand they initially took against R. Kelly’s music after the charges were made public. It seemed that once R. Kelly came out with another song that people liked, everything was golden once again. The executive had no good answers for me, and only behaved as if R. Kelly’s talent was enough to make us forget about what he may have done to that little girl. Now, I am not one for calling out the lynch mobs against a man who has not yet been convicted, but damn.

R. Kelly Question Number four:


R. Kelly has the ear of the entire ghetto and even inspires people when he croons. Can he PLEASE ever sing songs about something other than silly sh*t? Don’t get me wrong…I know that Jesus saved him, taught him that he can fly and helped him step in the name of love….yeah yeah yeah. But most of the R. Kelly songs seem to have a consistent combination: go to the party with a car full of women, get drunk, go to the after party, have sex after the after party and then do the same thing the next day. One would expect that a man with the ear of the black community could sing about something a little more substantive at least every now and then.

R. Kelly Question Number five:

Why is everybody trying to get a copy of this damn sex tape? Remember: curiosity killed the cat, and the possession of this tape is TECHNICALLY the possession of child pornography. So, if your objective is to look at this tape just so you can see what everybody else is saying they said they saw, you might want to think again.

Side Question in the R. Kelly Trial: Are the people involved in all this craziness at least using protection? Sorry, but I have to be the one to ask. I can't imagine what some of these folks' medical reports are looking like these days. Not to hate on anybody's sexual habits, for I too am a fan of great sex. However, I am a bigger fan of intelligent, responsible and meaningful sex. I hope that R. Kelly's "special friends" are fans of the same thing, since we all know what happened to the great Eazy -E, who loved to rap about his sexual exploits that eventually led him to the grave.

If R. Kelly did indeed commit this crime, this is no laughing matter. Child pornography and sex with a minor are serious offenses. I would hope that no song of any quality can lead us to forgive and forget, for we can’t have predators hurting our children.

Sorry R. Kelly, your music jams, but if this is truly your issue, you might need some help.

One of the attorneys on YourBlackWorld did some legal analysis on the R. Kelly trial. You might find this interesting as well.