R.Kelly’s Ignition (Remix) is a verifiable dancefloor classic. The guy behind is decidedly waaay more problematic.
The mounting abuse allegations against the musician are piling up, inspiring the campaign, a boycott from radio stations and a whole lot of people angry that he’s fleeing pressure in the US for a 2019 Australasian tour.
The backstory
For those who aren't up to speed with the long list of allegations/controversies surrounding the 51-year-old; 1. You’re so lucky and 2. Here are some crib notes.
- Illegally married protege Aaliyah when she was 15 and he was 27 in 1994.
- Was indicted but then acquitted on 14 counts of child pornography in 2002.
- Three different sets of parents accused the singer of luring their daughters in a "sex cult" in 2017.
- Accused by a former partner of “intentionally” infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease in 2018.
And then there’s ‘Surviving R.Kelly’, the six-part Lifetime documentary series following decades of sexual abuse allegations - possibly the final nail in the coffin for Kelly's career.
The National Sexual Assault Hotline in the US reported a 27% increase in calls during airing of the documentary.
As a result of the series, Kelly was dropped by record label Sony. Artists like Lady Gaga, Chance The Rapper and Celine Dion have also apologised for their collabs with the singer.
Philadelphia City has even banned him from the area. All in all the controversy has made Kelly a pariah in his own country, so it seems his bright idea is to make his way to ours.
Australia vs. disgraced artists
Of course, there’s no guarantee that he’ll even make it to Aussie shores, considering our long and illustrious history of banning musicians on “moral grounds”.
What’s that? You want more crib notes? Well, ok, if you insist.
- Tyler, The Creator was refused a visa in 2015 due to a grassroots campaign against his misogynistic lyrics.
- In the same year Chris Brown’s visa was revoked due to his domestic violence charges.
- Snoop Dogg was barred from his Big Day Out headlining spot in 2007 due to previous drug and gun possession charges.
And that’s just the bans specific to US rappers.
The Feed contacted Immigration Minister David Coleman, Shadow Immigration Minister Shayn Neumann and Greens Immigration spokesperson Nick Mckim. At time of publishing we have not had any response from any of them.
Although considering our history of barring much less controversial artists, Australian fans of Kelly (if they’re even still out there) hoping to catch the musician live probably shouldn’t hold their breath.
