As public perception of R. Kelly has taken the turn it was always meant to take, the entertainer has been under particular scrutiny and for good reason, considering the horrifying allegations of sexual assault and abuse brought up against him in recent times.
With all that in mind, Kelly and his team have been hard at work trying to alter the image of the disgraced singer and most recently, R. Kelly decided to get ahead of what could possibly be a media firestorm by announcing that he will be making an appearance at a club, but only for the sole purposes of putting some cash in his pockets he warns.
"I got an event to do tonight in Springfield, Illinois," he begins in the clip. "So, I want the media to take it easy on me, man. This is how I gotta get paid now. So, I gotta go do this event and it's a party. So, when you see me in the club with a couple of drinks in my hand and chilling, please take it easy."
Clearly, Kelly doesn't want anyone to get the wrong idea should any photo or video evidence show him partying while dealing with such a hefty criminal case. While he doesn't mention the particular event in question, all signs point toward a Spring Break concert scheduled for April 6th that was previously under review by the owners of the city's expo center, where the concert was scheduled to take place.
Residents voiced their concerns with Kelly making an appearance, citing the implications of allowing him to perform in the city.
"When people hear where the venue is, they will associate it with Springfield in the state of Illinois,” said Springfield resident Karoline Ross. “They will associate it with people saying this is OK behavior and acceptable in our society.”
