Chance The Rapper Says R Kelly Collaboration Was A ‘Mistake’

Chance The Rapper spoke out about his collaboration with R. Kelly in the docu-series Surviving R. Kelly, saying that their 2015 hit “Somewhere In Paradise” was a “mistake.”

“Making a song with R. Kelly was a mistake,” he said in the documentary. He went on to reveal that he didn’t value stories of the woman who were accusing Kelly of sexual misconduct because they were black women. His comments caused an outrage, and folks took to social media to call him out on his words. Chance took to his Twitter to set the record straight on his what he said, saying that his words were taken out of context.

“The quote was taken out of context, but the truth is any of us who ever ignored the 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,” he Tweeted. Chance also Tweeted that he would be taking some time off for a sabbatical, where he hoped to enrich his mind by reading the bible.

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As the Huffington Post reported, R. Kelly has been accused of sexual assault by several women and girls and has been accused of keeping underaged girls in a sex-cult, allegedly grooming them while holding them hostage.

The six-part docu-series which aired on Lifetime dug deep into the allegations from the ’80s and ’90s, but also the more recent ones. Dream Hampton, the Detroit author and filmmaker behind the series, interviewed more than 50 of Kelly’s alleged victims, their families, and several big names in the music industry — though Hampton revealed that it was quite difficult to get musicians to speak out against Kelly.

“When it comes to celebrities, it was incredibly difficult to get people who had collaborated with Kelly to come forward,” Hampton said.

Aside from Chance The Rapper, Grammy winner John Legend was also interviewed for the piece and was met with heavy praise by fans who commended him for having the courage to come forward. He took to his Twitter to respond to the praise, saying that he felt his did his part, and couldn’t defend someone like Kelly.

“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–k about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision,” Legend said.

Kelly threatened to sue over the series, and a New York City screening of the documentary had to be evacuated over a phoned-in shooting threat.