Singer R. Kelly is in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as he awaits sentencing after being convicted of multiple counts of sex trafficking in a Manhattan federal court this year. While in jail, his streaming has skyrocketed by 517 percent according to Rolling Stone magazine.
Kelly’s on-demand streams went up 22 percent and video streaming increased by 23 percent between September 27 and October 3. His streaming numbers in 2017 were approximately 5.4 million audio streams weekly, and this year they are reported to be at 6.4 million.
Mute R. Kelly
Since R. Kelly was convicted his audio and video streams have seen numbers jumping from 11.2 million to 13.4 million. Album sales have soared by 517 percent.
During the course of R. Kelly’s 2021 trial, services such as Apple Music and Spotify would not stream his music or would mute it on playlists when the timeline of allegations against R. Kelly was revealed. YouTube also closed down two of R. Kelly’s accounts, saying they violated the guidelines on creator responsibilities. Multiple artists pulled any R. Kelly collaborations from their own work.
That includes Jennifer Hudson who pulled "Where You At" from streaming, a song produced by R. Kelly. Chance the Rapper also removed "Somewhere in Paradise" featuring R. Kelly.
Support for R. Kelly
R. Kelly is getting support in addition beyond his streaming numbers. Celebrity Bill Cosby has been very vocal about the R. Kelly trial saying that he didn’t catch a break according to the New York Post.
Cosby’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt said that Kelly’s constitutional rights were "grossly abused." Wyatt has also criticized Kelly’s attorneys, saying they did not "humanize" him, and feels that Kelly should have gotten more support from the court and the system.
Wyatt also said that he didn’t feel it was right that a documentary could result in criminal charges against anybody.
Surviving R. Kelly
The documentary that has had the world talking is called "Surviving R. Kelly" and was released on the Lifetime network in January 2019. Over six episodes that were one hour long each, many victims levied accusations against him.
Within two weeks of the show airing, Kelly’s record label dropped him and concerts got canceled. A few weeks after that, R. Kelly was charged in Chicago with 10 counts of sexual abuse.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of Homeland Security carried an investigation that would result in federal charges in New York. Those charges would include Mann Act violations.
R. Kelly Faces Life
The Mann Act is a law established in 1910 and also called the White-Slave Traffic Act that prohibits the transportation of any woman for prostitution or immoral purpose. R. Kelly faced Mann Act charges after agents saw him in a caravan between Manhattan and Oakland with an underage girl.
He is still facing federal indictments in Illinois and awaits sentencing on his conviction in Manhattan federal court. After a six-week long trial with over 50 witnesses, the 54-year-old singer was convicted of multiple counts of sexual abuse and racketeering.In Illinois, R. Kelly faces similar charges including the production of images for child sex abuse, and conspiracy to obstruct justice through witness tampering, bribes, and threats reports BBC News.
Kelly faces 10 years to life in federal prison, and will be sentenced in May 2022.What will happen to his record sales remains to be seen. Sportskeeda notes that R. Kelly’s net worth at the peak of his life may have been $ 100 million, but by 2021 it has sunk to negative $ 2 million.
