I was wondering if there would ever be pushback for R Kelly's actions. He has been a well known pedaphile for years now. I recently overheard two women from Chicago talking about how they remember him driving around their high school to pick up girls. Honestly, the support for R Kelly over the years ever since his actions were made public always greatly upset me, and I don't mean just the disturbing sex tape where he peed on a girl, but the series of stories that have surfaced and the general public's complicity in condoning his behavior...Whenever I have addressed R Kelly's transgressions, people have chastised me saying "What about forgiveness?" To which I ask "Do you forgive Sandusky?".... Anyhoo it looks like the chickens are just starting to come home to roost...
Late Monday, an Ohio music festival announced they had "decided to part ways" with Kelly and canceled his concert.
In a statement shared with HuffPost by the festival, a Kelly spokesperson said, “R. Kelly is sorry to disappoint his fans, but looks forward to seeing them in the near future during one of his upcoming tours.”
The original story continues below.
An Ohio music festival has found itself in a difficult position on the heels of its booking of controversial R&B singer R. Kelly as one of its headliners.
The Fashion Meets Music Festival, slated for Aug. 29-31 in Columbus, Ohio, has run into a number of troubles since they announced last month that Kelly would be playing their inaugural fest alongside jam band O.A.R. and Destiny's Child alum Michelle Williams, among others.
Earlier, two Ohio-based bands -- Damn the Witch Siren and Saintseneca -- have dropped out of the lineup since Kelly's booking was made public and Sunday Columbus Alive reported that radio station WCBE 90.5 FM has withdrawn from sponsoring the festival, also due to Kelly's previous addition to the lineup.
As WBEZ's Jim DeRogatis notes, ticket sales for the "I Believe I Can Fly" singer's previously-scheduled performance at the festival -- which started at $58.50 plus fees -- also appeared to be selling very slowly.
The pushback stemmed from Kelly's past allegations of child pornography and sexual assault, a story DeRogatis helped break and Jessica Hopper detailed in a viral news story for the Village Voice in December 2013.
"We feel [R. Kelly's] selection as a performer ignores his very serious allegations of sexual violence and assault," Saintseneca said in a statement explaining their decision. "We feel it is an affront to all survivors, who are already often overlooked and forgotten in our society." The band plans to host an alternative concert benefiting victims of sexual assault.
In response to the criticism, Fashion Meets Music Festival co-founder Bret Adams had previously defended the booking to Columbus Alive, noting that Kelly was acquitted of the allegations in 2008, saying, "we're not the morality police."
Kelly also headlined the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago last year, a booking DeRogatis lashed out against but which was not met by any bands or sponsors dropping out from the event. Kelly also played the Bonnaroo and Coachella festivals in 2013.
(SOURCE)
Late Monday, an Ohio music festival announced they had "decided to part ways" with Kelly and canceled his concert.
In a statement shared with HuffPost by the festival, a Kelly spokesperson said, “R. Kelly is sorry to disappoint his fans, but looks forward to seeing them in the near future during one of his upcoming tours.”
The original story continues below.
An Ohio music festival has found itself in a difficult position on the heels of its booking of controversial R&B singer R. Kelly as one of its headliners.
The Fashion Meets Music Festival, slated for Aug. 29-31 in Columbus, Ohio, has run into a number of troubles since they announced last month that Kelly would be playing their inaugural fest alongside jam band O.A.R. and Destiny's Child alum Michelle Williams, among others.
Earlier, two Ohio-based bands -- Damn the Witch Siren and Saintseneca -- have dropped out of the lineup since Kelly's booking was made public and Sunday Columbus Alive reported that radio station WCBE 90.5 FM has withdrawn from sponsoring the festival, also due to Kelly's previous addition to the lineup.
As WBEZ's Jim DeRogatis notes, ticket sales for the "I Believe I Can Fly" singer's previously-scheduled performance at the festival -- which started at $58.50 plus fees -- also appeared to be selling very slowly.
The pushback stemmed from Kelly's past allegations of child pornography and sexual assault, a story DeRogatis helped break and Jessica Hopper detailed in a viral news story for the Village Voice in December 2013.
"We feel [R. Kelly's] selection as a performer ignores his very serious allegations of sexual violence and assault," Saintseneca said in a statement explaining their decision. "We feel it is an affront to all survivors, who are already often overlooked and forgotten in our society." The band plans to host an alternative concert benefiting victims of sexual assault.
In response to the criticism, Fashion Meets Music Festival co-founder Bret Adams had previously defended the booking to Columbus Alive, noting that Kelly was acquitted of the allegations in 2008, saying, "we're not the morality police."
Kelly also headlined the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago last year, a booking DeRogatis lashed out against but which was not met by any bands or sponsors dropping out from the event. Kelly also played the Bonnaroo and Coachella festivals in 2013.
(SOURCE)
RSS Feed