Is it possible to separate the art from the artist?
Earlier this week,Kelly appeared in court to pleaded not guiltyto all charges.
The singer has consistently denied all accusations against him.
Credit: Abrams Books (2)
The reason we know about these accusations at all is due in large part to reporter Jim DeRogatis.
He reported these stories first for theSun-Times, andin more recent years for BuzzFeed News.
Read on for more, and findSoullesswherever books are sold.
Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Youve been covering the R. Kelly story for almost 20 years.
I mean, this man is a serial predator of underage girls.
This notion of journalism as literature means the book is about many, many things beside R. Kelly.
Lazarus Jean-Baptiste/CBS
As I look at it, its not about Kelly, its about the women he hurt.
But beyond those topics, its a book about Chicago.
Thats what 95 percent of people know.
So I guess its also a book about changing technology and the erasure of cultural memory.
It will stand as a unique moment.
Have you ever even seen one of those curly-page yellow-paper heat-sensitive faxes?
I havent taught anyone in 10 years whos even seen a fax.
So its a weird thing.
People dont know what happened at that trial.
The question that lingers about the Manson family is that Charlie had 25 girls following him.
How did that happen?
This guy was obviously a dangerous lunatic hurting people.
Music is the lure.
These days, I see on social media lots of people wanting to be critics.
You could say social justice or politics or sex, but thats all in the art.
When were writing about art, especially music, were writing about the world and ourselves.
If youre writing aboutthe new Lizzo album, do you describe her as a super-skinny artist?
Her entire canon is I am big and loud, and get out of my way, motherfer.
There is evil at the heart of that art.
Did you know there are a couple dozen Charlie Manson tracks on Spotify?
I mean, not for nothing did he need an alternate career.
Why is that music there?
Its for sick fs who enjoy listening to the music of a man who encouraged the slaughter of innocents.
I love it and you dont, or vice versa, doesnt matter.
I dont think theyre wrong.
I dont want to live withoutOff the Wall, by Michael Jackson.
Its always been there.Age Aint Nothing but a Numberwas the album he made for Aaliyah.
He calls himself the Pied Piper.
He has been telling the world this for as long as hes been selling records.
It was not something he kept in the closet.
And lets not even talk about Trapped in the Closet.
Thats whats so twisted.
I mean, you were probably in your playpen when I Believe I Can Fly poweredSpace Jam.
How can you know everything?
I understand that, I certainly do.
Thats creepy to me.
It was that prevalent for 30 years.
I did an event this week in New York with Jamilah Lemieux, who is now a mom.
She was talking about being at Whitney Young High School and Kelly would come around.
He knew who he was pursuing.
Race plays into this in many ways.
You and I, were privileged to have the megaphone we do.
How did you feel watchingSurviving R. Kelly?
There was no one, in six hours, that I hadnt spoken to already.
You have to remember Ive talked to lots of people who didnt go on the record to me.
And now America for six hours got to meet some of those women.
That had an incredible, visceral power.But I cant emphasize this enough: It aint over.
You ask how I felt.
I felt like this is all well and good, butJoy Savage and Azriel Clary are still with him.
I did not feel like theyre where they want to be.
Thats what their parents started telling me in 2016; it took nine months to publish that story.
If that was a setup, they are the most patient people in the world.
They have not made money on this.
The pictures that are posted, the lies that are posted, its horrifying.
That is incredible courage, that is why I dedicated this book to the girls.
They were 13, 14, 15.
Thats what they were, and we have to remember that.
If you watch the tape, its the most horrifying thing Ive ever seen in my life.
I just never would not take the call.
This story is still not over, even though the book is finished.
Im not some crusading white savior.
Theres a lot here, and thats what we should do as journalists.
It was the girls.
I was never not going to take that call.
Now I have emails from Tiffany Hawkins, Lizzette Martinez, andJerhonda Pace, saying thank you.
