R. Kelly Paid $22K For Hour-Long Club Appearance Amid Sexual Abuse Case: Report

R. Kelly is still managing to book gigs in wake of the sexual abuse charges against him.

BYAron A.Apr 09, 20198.5K Views

R. Kelly was hit with some serious charges after Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly docuseries aired. The explosive documentary shined a light on the allegations of sexual abuse that have been hovering over the singer for the past two decades. This time, it seems like the outrage has actually taken a toll on his career. However, there's still a demographic of individuals who believe the singer is innocent and recently, they showed up to a nightclub to see the embattled singer in the flesh.

Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images

R. Kelly put in an hour of work and left with a massive bag, considering the circumstances. According to TMZ, R. Kelly's appearance at Dirty South Lounge in Springfield, Illinois earned the singer $22K. The singer wasn't even required to put on a performance but he still grabbed the microphone and delivered a 28-second performance, singing the opening line to "Bump N Grind." The singer ultimately left with $20K in his pocket after paying his booking agent $2K.

The singer reportedly showed up to the event at 10 p.m. but didn't actually come out to greet fans until 1 a.m. The crowd itself was small with reportedly 50 people in attendance for Kelly.

Prior to the performance, Kellz hit up Instagram to send out a PSA to the media to "take it easy" on him. He explained that he's simply just trying to get some money since it's his only source of income.

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Aron A.

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.