It has been string of some outrageous and shocking revelations of abuse since the first wave of the #MeToo movement. There were many powerful executives and men who have faced serious repercussions for their heinous acts. One of the most explosive cases is that of R. Kelly, who was convicted in 2022 for racketeering and sex trafficking. He was found guilty on three counts of child pornography and nine counts of sex trafficking. There were many victims who have come out with their chilling stories. But, the youngest victim was the R&B icon Aaliyah.
The R&B singer and producer R. Kelly had been indicted earlier in 2002 for child pornography. In 2008, he was acquitted. In 2002, Chicago Sun Times ran a report about the wrongdoings of the producers. Jesse Daniels, an executive producer, got inspired from the report which was republished in 2017 on the heels of the MeToo movement. So, in 2019, he released ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ chronicling the stories of women, especially the Black women. Now, they have released the third installment which will focus on the court trials where he was proven guilty. During the trials, there was the shocking revelation about Aaliyah and his illegitimate marriage.
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R. Kelly Married Aaliyah Due To Her Pregnancy
Many artists look up to the career and discography of the R&B icon Aaliyah. The Michigan singer became an icon in a short-lived career. In an illustrious career, she topped the Billboard 100 and Billboard 200 lists. Her songs like ‘Come Over’, ‘I Care 4 U’, and ‘Miss You’ peaked on the Top 10 ‘Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs’. But, in 2001, she died in a plane crash. But, one of the most tragic events before the plane crash was her alliance to R. Kelly.
Aaliyah and R. Kelly met when the singer was merely 13 years old. The singer’s uncle and manager Barry Hankerson introduced the two in 1992. Robert Slyvester Kelly aka R. Kelly mentored young Aaliyah. He helped her to produce and write her first album ‘Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number’, which debuted at No.18 on Billboard 200 list and sold more than 70,000 copies. But, there was a lot happening behind the illustrious career that Kelly aided in creating. One of the most important testimonies is that of Robert’s former manager Demetrius Smith.
During the 2021 trial, Smith recounted details of how the two ended up marrying each other. Demetrius was not comfortable with Aaliyah and Kelly’s closeness due to the young singer’s age. He said, “I just thought they were too playful, too friendly…he was seducing her”. In the courtroom, he revealed the details about their short-lived marriage and forging the marriage certificate. During a Florida concert in 1994, Kelly told him, “Aaliyah is in trouble, we need to get home”. He also said that she thinks that she is pregnant with his child. The prosecutor asked him why and from what he needed protection. Smith said that he wanted to protect him and Aaliyah from ending up in prison.
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The Artist Forged Her Age On The Marriage Certificate
During the trial, Smith told the court that Kelly asked him not to tell her uncle and manager, Barry Henkerson. “He said, ‘don’t call Barry. It’s deeper than you think”. However, he was unaware of the fact that the two were in a sexual relationship. The former manager continued, “That broke my heart because I really believed him when he said he wasn’t messing with Aaliyah”. But, their marriage license went viral claiming Aaliyah was 18 years old R. Kelly was 27 years old.
One of the dancers at Kelly’s tour testified that she caught Kelly indulged in oral s** with the young singer. Lisa Van Allen was an ex-girlfriend of R. Kelly has also given some astonishing details of his relationship with the singer. She said, “He told me that they were married, that she was pregnant, that he did doctor up the marriage certificate”.
Kelly allegedly told her the reason for doing so. She continued, “So she could say she was 18, so they could get married, and the reason was if he thought that she was 18 then he couldn’t get charged if someone found out she was pregnant”. R. Kelly is not imprisoned for 30 years for the crimes.
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