Former R&B star R Kelly facing sentencing over sex trafficking conviction.

 

R Kelly's sentencing has arrived, with the singer to front a New York court tomorrow. 

R Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is considered one of the most influential R&B artists of his generation and has sold more than 70 million records worldwide. He's best known for the 1996 hit I Believe I Can Fly, which won three Grammy Awards and featured on the soundtrack of the film Space Jam. But before that, he had developed a reputation for his take on R&B with songs like Bump & Grind and Sex Me.

He's also written and produced for many artists, including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Aaliyah.

Back in September 2021, Kelly was found of all charges on his sex trafficking trial in New York. Kelly was facing one count of racketeering; essentially, running a criminal enterprise, and eight counts of violating the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to take people across state lines for the purposes of prostitution.

Prosecutors said Kelly took advantage of his fame and charisma to recruit victims, including some plucked from crowds at his concerts, with the aid of people in his entourage.

At the time, acting US attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis said the guilty verdict "forever brands R Kelly as a predator, who used his fame and fortune to prey on the young, the vulnerable and the voiceless for his own sexual gratification". "[Kelly is] a predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls, young men and women for decades in a sordid web of sex abuse, exploitation and humiliation."

Several accusers testified in detail during the trial, alleging that Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage. Witnesses said some victims had hoped Kelly could jumpstart their careers, only to find he demanded their strict obedience and would punish them if they failed.

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