Six years ago the Chicago Sun-Times received a videotape of what was thought to have been r&b singer R. Kelly performing sexual acts with an underage girl. Since that fateful February morning in 2002, the tape has become a hot topic of conversation for many while providing some career building material for Dave Chappelle.
Six years ago the Chicago Sun-Times received a videotape of what was thought to have been r&b singer R. Kelly performing sexual acts with an underage girl. Since that fateful February morning in 2002, the tape has become a hot topic of conversation for many while providing some career building material for Dave Chappelle. Although the controversial crooner has been in and out of litigation in regards to the tape he did not seem affected by the possibility of serious jail time putting out eight albums, making the American institution that is “Trapped in the Closet,” going on tour with Jay-Z (which resulted in Jay’s people pepper spraying Kelly), and performing a dance remix of the national anthem before a major boxing event (Did Francis Scott Key mean for his song to have an instrumental breakdown where the performer shouts “clap your hands”? R. Kelly says yes.). Perhaps Kelly knew there was nothing to worry about as he was acquitted of all charges against him on Friday.
After two days of deliberation the jury helped clean up the soul singer’s tarnished name by acquitting him of all 14 counts of child pornography against him. These charges were greatly reduced from those originally before him in 2002 when Kelly faced 21 counts of sexual intercourse with a minor. The jury’s decision came down to defense attorney Sam Adam’s assertion that the man in the tape did not have a mole on his back like Kelly did. Adam also unapologetically played to the emotions of the jury like the prosecutor from My Cousin Vinny, telling them that if they found Robert “I Believe I Can Fly” Kelly guilty they would be calling the alleged victim “fourteen times individually and collectively a whore.” In addition, the motives of those testifying against the defendant were called into question as one was the singer’s ex-mistress and another was the alleged victim’s aunt who the defense said tried to extort $300,000 from them in order not to testify. Don’t the events of the trial sound like something straight off of an R. Kelly album?