R. Kelly and Chance the Rapper
Nationwide — Amidst the recent controversies surrounding R. Kelly, Chance the Rapper, who had previously collaborated with the singer, says he now regrets doing so. In Surviving R. Kelly, a Lifetime docu-series that exposes the musician’s alleged sexual assault on Black girls and women, Chance says that working with him was a “mistake.”
Surviving R. Kelly, which has recently aired on Lifetime despite threats from R. Kelly’s side to file a lawsuit, has recently taken over headlines and social media. Dream Hampton, a filmmaker, the documentary’s executive producer and a known vocal critic of R. Kelly, divulged that many artists refuse to participate in the six-part documentary series because of the complexity of the topic.
Chance the Rapper, however, was one of those who bravely spoke up. In the most recent episode of the documentary, he said working with R. Kelly was a mistake and he regretted it.
He also tweeted an apology to the women who survived from his sexual assault saying, “The quote was taken out of context, but the truth is any of us who ever ignored R Kelly stories, or ever believed he was being setup/attacked by the system (as black men often are) were doing so at the detriment of black women and girls. I apologize to all of his survivors for working with him and for taking this long to speak out.”
John Legend, who has not previously worked with R. Kelly, has been an open critic ever since and agreed to participate in the documentary. He said on Twitter, “To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn’t feel risky at all. I believe these women and don’t give a f—- about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision.”
The docuseries also featured R&B singer Stephanie “Sparkle” Edwards, who testified against R. Kelly at his 2008 trial, and Me Too founder Tarana Burke. Other members of his inner circle, family members, and some alleged victims participated as well.
Meanwhile, there were other big names who decided to keep quiet on the issue, including Jay-Z, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, and QuestLove.