R. Kelly, through his management, has released a statement condemning the Time's Up movement and the #MuteRKelly boycott for what he considers to be conspiracy against him.
It was reported yesterday that Time's Up's Women of Color committee had decided to join the boycott against Kelly, and were seeking to put pressure on the corporations that support him, including RCA, Ticketmaster, Apple Music, and Spotify. This was in response to several sexual misconduct allegations that Kelly is currently facing.
In a statement obtained by Variety, Kelly's management states that he is an unjust target for the movement's attention. "Kelly supports the pro-women goals of the Time’s Up movement. We understand criticizing a famous artist is a good way to draw attention to those goals—and in this case, it is unjust and off-target," the statement reads.
The statement continues on to state that Time's Up has neglected to speak with any women who welcome R. Kelly's support, and that the allegations against him are nothing more than a "greedy, conscious and malicious conspiracy to demean him."
The statement ends with R. Kelly getting to what he believes to be the root of the matter: racism. "Kelly’s music is a part of American and African-American culture that should never—and will never—be silenced," the statement reads. "Since America was born, black men and women have been lynched for having sex or for being accused of it. We will vigorously resist this attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture."
How they plan to resist the boycott is unclear, with Kelly being cancelled for upcoming shows due to boycotting efforts.
