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Chuck D has entered the chat about R. Kelly’s recent conviction of committing sex crimes against girls and women for over two decades. The Public Enemy leader took to Twitter to give his two cents that he should’ve kept to himself. In his tweet, he asked if the convicted abuser would be given a chance to redeem himself like Ike Turner did.
“Abused in his youth… an addict as a adult… Ike Turner served 18 months in prison.. Rick James did similar time. Ike came out a changed positive human being,” he tweeted. “How long should R Kelly spend in prison -and does a USA system give a man a chance for a man to change his world around?”
The hip-hop icon caught all the criticism and side eyes, including from actress Reagan Gomez. The Parent Hood star not only called him out for the insensitivity but redirected his attention to the protection and enabling Kelly had in place since the 1990s.
“What of his survivors?,” she tweeted. “Abused in their youth by a serial rapist who was protected in his crimes for decades. What about their lives? When will WE take accountability for letting these toxic cycles continue. This is a pattern for you & it’s always a huge disappointment.”
In a rebuttal to the backlash he received, Chuck D replied to The Wrap and said “JUST TO BE CLEAR, I’m not the R. Kelly fan here. I ain’t got any of his songs. And his actions were trash.”
First of all, Kelly never admitted to what he has been accused of, nor has be been apologetic. Remember his Gayle King interview, when vehemently denied everything, threw a tantrum and said we were “killing him with this s***?!” This is not someone who thinks he needs to change.
In R. Kelly’s case, it’s not about a “USA system” giving him a chance to change his world around. He had plenty of time and resources to seek help and instead decided to continue abusing countless Black young girls, boys and women. Yes, sadly he was molested during his younger years and was failed when no one fought for him to get justice. But Kelly being a sexual abuse survivor himself, he is well aware of the deep emotional scars it causes and he consciously inflicted those same wounds on young girls for almost three decades. Did he decide to “change his world around” when he impregnated and married Aaliyah when she was 15-years-old? Or when he was hit with lawsuits for his pedophilia and had to settle quietly out of court in order to not singe his public image? Or even when he got away unscathed after he was acquitted of all charges in his 2008 child pornography trial?
He looked at these girls and saw prey and decided he had the right to manipulate them for his own pleasure. For decades, his team helped him recruit girls that he snatched from their families and subjected to horrendous abuse, had them perform demeaning acts and did everything he could to berate them and keep them under his control. Kelly was focused on having his own sick desires satisfied, so there was no concern about rehabilitation, redemption and accountability.
What about how he changed those girls worlds forever and left them traumatized? “Changing his world around” is no longer an option. Now it’s about consequences.
