The ripple effect of, “Surviving R. Kelly,” the documentary series centering on abuse allegations against the singer, continues to be felt as the year presses on.
Most recently, two radio stations in North Carolina have joined the #MuteRKelly movement by way of dropping the disgraced R&B singer from their playlist rotation.
Jeff Anderson, the operations manager of Charlotte station WOSF-FM, shared with WBTV that he doesn’t think it’s in the best interest of the station to continue supporting Kelly through playing his songs. The decision was made in response to the sexual abuse allegations and subsequent controversy surrounding the 52-year-old.
“I believe especially the female community,” Anderson said in a statement to the local news outlet. “They are up in arms. They don’t really want that support there. They expect that we would be a community leader. We are here to serve the community first and foremost – be a voice.”
Last month, two Dallas radio stations, KRNB and K104, vocalized their collective vow to never play Kelly’s music again for similar reasons. There are even cities in the United States, such as Philadelphia, who claim that the singer is no longer welcome there.
Additionally, artists such as Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper have since commented on their past decisions to collaborate with the singer, with the former even taking measures to pull their joint track from streaming services.
Despite many claiming that they cannot continue to support Kelly due to the severity of the allegations against him, the singer saw a spike in streaming numbers following the airing of the Lifetime documentary series.
Currently, Kelly is under investigation in Georgia due to allegedly taking an underage girl across state lines. His recording studio in Chicago is also at the center of an investigation due to claims the singer was illegally occupying the non-residential space.
R. Kelly continues to deny all allegations against him.