Witnesses Reveal R. Kelly's Rules Inside His "Chocolate Factory" Studio

BYCole Blake52.6K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Scott Olson / Getty Images
R. Kelly, Chocolate Factory

Witnesses described R. Kelly's studio, referred to as the "Chocolate Factory," during the singer's trial in Brooklyn.

Witnesses have testified to the extent of R. Kelly's controlling set of rules that he implemented inside his Illinois mansion, during the singer's trial in Brooklyn. Several of Kelly's former employees say female guests had to wear baggy clothes, avoid eye contact with and not speak to other men, and not leave their room without permission from Kelly or one of his associates.

Anthony Navarro began working as a runner for Kelly in 2007 and compared the studio, which was located inside Kelly's mansion, as "like the Twilight Zone." In this role, he'd pick up meals for Kelly or his guests and answer phone calls.

"It was almost like the Twilight Zone when you went into the gate, like you're in this different world that was just a strange place," Navarro testified.

Earl Gibson III / Getty Images

He added that guests were not allowed to go anywhere on the property without explicit permission.

"They weren't supposed to be wandering around," Navarro explained during the trial. "They had to get permission to do most things. They'd have to call either down to the studio or get ahold of Rob if they wanted anything, like food or things like that."

Two women also testified about the requirements and referred to them as "Rob's Rules."

[Via]


About The Author
Cole Blake is currently an Editor at HotNewHipHop based out of Brooklyn, New York. He began working at the site as an intern back in 2018 while studying journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s graduated with a bachelor's degree and written extensively about a wide range of topics including pop culture, film & television, politics, video games, sports, and much more. He’s also covered music festivals such as Gov. Ball and Rolling Loud. You can find him publishing work for HNHH from Monday to Wednesday or on weekends. On the sports front, Cole’s a passionate NBA and NFL fan with his favorite teams being the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Lakers. He also roots for the Yankees whenever he finds himself at Yankee Stadium or the Red Storm when in the company of other SJU alumni. His favorite hip-hop artists are billy woods, Earl Sweatshirt, Cam’ron, MIKE, and Mach-Hommy.