R. Kelly still has loyal supporters despite the horrific allegations against him.
R. Kelly’s been battling allegations of sexual abuse for roughly two decades at this point, but it clearly hasn’t had an impact on his loyal following. This is even more evident after Lifetime aired Surviving R. Kelly last night — a docuseries detailing the terrifying allegations against him. The Internet was collectively left disgusted, but clearly, his fans weren’t.
A rep for Spotify confirmed to Kelly’s music saw an increase in streams after Lifetime aired the Surviving R. Kelly’s docuseries. The rep revealed that there’s been a 16% spike in streams in the hours following the debut of the docuseries. It’s interesting since R. Kelly was in the middle of a controversial move by Spotify to remove artists accused of “hateful conduct.” The singer was among many artists who Spotify pledged to not promote through playlists or otherwise. However, the streaming platform peddled back on the decision once they faced backlash for singling out R. Kelly while Spotify continued to promote other artists accused of sexual assault.
Surviving R. Kelly sparked a huge reaction from the Internet. John Legend and Wendy Williams were both included in the docuseries with Legend providing additional commentary on Twitter after it aired. “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 fuck about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision,” he wrote.
