R. Kelly Banned From City Of Philadelphia As ‘Mute R. Kelly’ Campaign Progresses
R. Kelly is facing setback after setback as a result of Lifetime’s incriminating docuseries Surviving R. Kelly. The disturbing series of events highlighted in the six-hour series have led many people to finally mute the Grammy-Award-winning singer once and for all. Now, the city of Philadelphia has joined the fight against R. Kelly.
According to The Jasmine Brand, Philadelphia city council members unanimously passed a decision to ban R. Kelly — whose real name is Robert Kelly — from the city. On Friday, February 1, Philadelphia council member Helen Gym released a statement to confirm the ban. According to Gym, the city of Philadelphia would be honoring the Mute R. Kelly movement by standing with survivors of sexual abuse.
This resolution is about fundamentally stating a public declaration that R. Kelly and sexual predators like him don’t belong in a public sphere, with public support. This symbolic act of solidarity puts all sexual predators on notice. She continued, “Today our resolution honoring the #MuteRKelly movement passed in @PHLCouncil. Philly stands with survivors.”
As expected, Philadelphia’s ban on R. Kelly has sparked yet another heated debate regarding all of the allegations from the Chicago-born singer’s alleged victims. While some people have applauded Philadelphia for the ban, there are still many fans of R. Kelly who are outraged that the singer has been canceled despite being acquitted on previous child pornography charges. The singer’s loyal fans have argued that many of the victims’ parents should be held accountable for their daughters’ involvement with R. Kelly.
The latest news follows a string of reports about the countless actions people have taken to mute R. Kelly. Last week, Sony’s RCA records announced plans to drop the “Step In the Name of Love” singer from its roster. Although R. Kelly had a brand new album that was complete and ready to be released, the record label refused to move forward. An official statement was released to address the scandal R. Kelly is currently facing.
For many fans, the record label’s decision to sever ties with R. Kelly came as a shock. Almost immediately after Surviving R. Kelly aired, the singer’s music streaming and record sales skyrocketed. The release of his new album would have likely continued on the same path. But even with the potential of record-breaking profits, RCA still opted to drop him. It appears this may be the beginning of an onslaught of problems for R. Kelly. However, he is reportedly still shopping for a new record label.
