In the documentary, Surviving R. Kelly, many people that worked in the same industry as him, grew up with him, and experienced relations with him were interviewed. Robert Kelly is a well known man who wrote songs and worked with other famous people such as Lady Gaga, Usher, and Chance the Rapper. R. Kelly was found not guilty after a video was released of him having sexual intercourse with an underage girl. In another interview, he was asked if he had sexual relations with any teenage girls and responded with what the age range was for a teenager. His younger brother, Bruce Kelly, explained how hard it was growing up in the projects of Chicago and told the interviewers Robert was a shy kid with an ear for music. He grew up without a father and had been exposed to sex at a young age. Throughout the ages 7-13, he had been molested by family members which then “woke up [his] hormones” and used this experience to take advantage of women. Because he was a victim at a young age, he thought he knew how to hold the power during sex. With this, he was able to pick up innocent young girls from high school when he was older and make them feel noticed because his fame was on the rise. One of his backup dancers, Joavnte, explained how everyone saw him as a predator but never did anything or spoke up: “We all noticed, no one cared because we were black girls.” One female that had experienced this abuse was Aaliyah, a young 12 year old black female with potential. Robert helped her write songs that were very provocative and sexual, making society question if they were together or not. She never spoke up about her age or gave a response if her and R Kelly were dating. He took advantage of her and made her believe that having relations with an older man is acceptable.
This documentary caught my eye because even though I knew about R Kelly and how he had allegations, I never heard much about it. Hearing how he manipulated not women, but young girls into falling for him and doing sexual things for him, was very disturbing. He made others around him trust him and still took advantage of many people; he had paid women into staying quiet about the situation. Growing up in an area where people want to get famous, it is expected to make connections with other famous artists. This explains why many young women did not speak up when they saw, experienced, or heard R Kelly sexually abusing other young women because they wanted to make it in the world. This just goes to show how money and popularity plays a huge role in society and how women are not cared for enough. It is very important to make every female feel seen and heard, especially those in communities where growing up is tough. By standing up for others and speaking up, we can all change the world slowly and make sure everyone is getting the justice they deserve.
VH
Source- Netflix: "Surviving R. Kelly"
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