Apple Music & Pandora No Longer Promoting R. Kelly's Music: Report

According to reports, Apple Music and Pandora join Spotify in ending support for R. Kelly.

BYAron A.
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R. Kelly's delivered us some timeless hits over the years despite the fact that some of the allegations against him are as heinous as they come. Yesterday, reports surfaced that Spotify has stopped promoting R. Kelly, along with XXXTENTACION and Tay-K on their editorial playlists due to their Hate Content & Hateful Conduct policy. Now, it looks like Apple Music and Pandora are joining Spotify in ending the promotion of R. Kelly's music.

Pitchfork reports an Apple Music source has confirmed that the company has been slowly ending the promotion of R. Kelly's music though their featured playlist. This decision was actually made prior to Spotify making their announcement. Thusfar, they've dropped Kellz songs from "Best Slow Jams of the 90's, Vol. 1" and "Vol 2." However, Kellz face is still featured in the playlists artwork. Despite their decision, seven prominent R. Kelly playlists including "R. Kelly Essentials," "R. Kelly: Influences" and "Inspired by R. Kelly," are still up.

Pandora shared a statement to TheBlast about their decision to actively end any promotion for R. Kelly.

“Pandora’s policy is to not actively promote artists with certain demonstrable behavioral, ethical or criminal issues. We approach each of these scenarios on a case–by–case basis to ensure we address components true to Pandora’s principles while not overreaching and avoiding censorship.” A rep told them.

This all comes at the heels of more sexual misconduct allegations against him. Two of his alleged "sex slaves" recently detailed the abuse they received from him. 


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About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.