Read the "Stomach-Churning" Sexual Assault Accusations Against R. Kelly in Full

[Are_grits_groceries]

Read the "Stomach-Churning" Sexual Assault Accusations Against R. Kelly in Full

It has been nearly 15 years since music journalist Jim DeRogatis caught the story that has since defined his career, one that he wishes didn't exist: R. Kelly's sexual predation on teenage girls. DeRogatis, at that time the pop-music critic at the Chicago Sun-Times, was anonymously delivered the first of two videos he would receive depicting the pop star engaging in sexual acts with underage girls.

Now the host of the syndicated public radio show Sound Opinions and a professor at Columbia College, DeRogatis, along with his former Sun-Times colleague Abdon Pallasch, didn't just break the story, they did the only significant reporting on the accusations against Kelly, interviewing hundreds of people over the years, including dozens of young women whose lives DeRogatis says were ruined by the singer.

This past summer, leading up to Kelly's headlining performance at the Pitchfork Music Festival, DeRogatis posted a series of discussions about Kelly's career, the charges made against him, and sexual assault. He published a live review of the singer's festival set that was an indictment of Pitchfork and its audience for essentially endorsing a man he calls "a monster."

In the two weeks since Kelly released his latest studio album, Black Panties, the conversation about him and why he has gotten a pass from music publications (not to mention feminist sites such as Jezebel) has been rekindled, in part because of the explicit nature of the album and also because of online arguments around the Pitchfork performance.
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Much more:
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2013/12/read_the_stomac.php

I have never understood why he has retained such a great career with this in his background.
He was not convicted of having child porn. He was never tried for sexually assaulting these girls.

[arcane1]

1. I'm going to read this now, but thanks for the gif!

That little snow-hopper is ADORABLE!

It was a great smile to precede the reading of an article that is going to piss me off

[alp227]

2. How the hell did that guy get ACQUITTED in what should've been an open-and-shut case?

The "it wasn't him in the video" argument was quite unreasonable doubt.

[awoke_in_2003]

3. He was rich...

the rich usually not punished.

[JI7]

10. pay off, like that drunk wealthy person who killed some people and was let off without any jail time

[SidDithers]

4. DU rec...nt

Sid

[Solomon]

5. I saw a copy of the videotape years ago.

I can't even begin to describe how disgusting it was. There was no doubt in my mind that it was R Kelley and no doubt that the girl was underage.

I wish I had never seen it. It haunts me to this day.

[Blue_Tires]

6. it is strange how none of this stuff seems particularly damaging to his career

especially since evidently so many people know about these things...

Hell, I remember discussing this stuff with friends in high school (this was around or just before the time of the Aaliyah silliness)...So it definitely wasn't a well-kept secret then...

[seabeyond]

8. ours girls are expendable when meeting the needs and wants of our hero men. they are so much more

important in our culture than a mere girl.

[geek tragedy]

7. What rape culture? R Kelly is doing time and no one is working with him.

Oh, wait, never mind.

[freshwest]

9. Darn, your transparency page used to be chockfull of pointing those in need of pizza. Sigh. n/t

[geek tragedy]

11. I know. Now only one hidden post for accurately describing "name removed"

as a transphobic bigot.