Sony's RCA Records Parts Ways With R. Kelly Amid Furor -- WSJ
January 21 2019 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Anne Steele
This article is being republished as part of our daily
reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S.
print edition of The Wall Street Journal (January 19, 2019).
Pop singer R. Kelly and Sony Corp.'s RCA Records label are
parting ways, amid renewed scrutiny of sexual-abuse allegations
against the R&B artist.
The split comes a week after a six-part Lifetime documentary
series, "Surviving R. Kelly," sparked a public campaign for the
label to drop the 52-year-old singer.
Mr. Kelly has been removed from RCA's roster, according to a
person familiar with the matter, and is no longer listed as an
artist on the website for the label. He had been under contract
with RCA since 2012. He had previously been affiliated with
corporate siblings of RCA since 1991, when he signed with the
former Jive Records.
Mr. Kelly's manager, James Mason, declined to comment on the
split. RCA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Sexual-abuse allegations, including accusations of holding women
hostage in a "sex cult," have swirled around Mr. Kelly for decades,
but attention picked up last year amid a #MuteRKelly social media
campaign aiming to end the singer's career.
Mr. Kelly was indicted in 2002 for child-pornography charges but
was acquitted in 2008.
Mr. Kelly and his representatives have denied the allegations
repeatedly.
In May, Spotify pulled R. Kelly's music from playlists created
by company employees as it rolled out a policy banning "Hate
Content and Hateful Conduct." The music-streaming service walked
back that policy three weeks later.
"This victory belongs to the survivors of his abuse," said
Arisha Hatch, managing director at Color of Change, a
racial-justice organization that has been leading protests outside
the label's New York headquarters this week. "Their brave
testimonies played a critical role in pushing RCA to drop R.
Kelly."
The documentary included interviews with Mr. Kelly's former
associates and family members, as well as women who said they were
drawn into sexually abusive relationships with the singer as
minors, in some cases as they were trying to break into the music
industry.
The singer of "Ignition (Remix)" and "I Believe I Can Fly" has
been a prominent figure in R&B since the 1990s, racking up more
than 20 platinum records and three Grammy Awards.
Though Mr. Kelly's career continued to thrive amid various
allegations over the years, last week artists began distancing
themselves from the singer. Some, including Chance the Rapper,
Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, publicly apologized for collaborating
with R. Kelly, and had those songs removed from streaming services
and digital download stores.
Also on Friday, Mr. Mason, the manager, turned himself in to
authorities in Georgia on a warrant for threatening a man who
accused Mr. Kelly of holding his daughter captive. The Henry County
Sheriff's Office, near Atlanta, released Mr. Mason later Friday
morning on a $10,000 bond.
Mr. Mason said he expects to be exonerated. "My team and I will
present facts soon that will discredit any and all accusations that
suggest that I have engaged in any acts of bullying, harassment or
aggressive acts," he said.
Write to Anne Steele at Anne.Steele@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 21, 2019 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)
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