Part two of “Surviving R. Kelly” aired last night, leading into the breakdown of the trial over his infamous sex tape.
At this point in the documentary, survivor, Lisa Van Allen, has opened up about her sexual relationship with the R&B superstar. The now-mother admitted to having threesomes with different girls and the singer, as well as making tapes of the act. One situation that stood out the most was with a “16-year-old,” who remains unidentified. Kelly introduced the girl as “a neighbor” and proceeded with their sexual escapade. Allen soon found out that the girl was actually 14-years-old.
She went on to tell about having sex with Kelly at his house even when then- wife, Andrea was obliviously home with their two children. Basically being a “prisoner in her own home” made it easy for the singer to maneuver around without any suspicions.
One day, Lisa found the bag that R. Kelly allegedly kept all of his previous tapes with other girls. She, eventually, stumbled upon her own tape with him and the underaged girl. However, it was a tape without Van Allen that caused even greater disgust. The unnamed teen was on-screen doing a money exchange with Kelly before he initiated the ultimate degrading act of peeing all over her body and face. A shocked Van Allen acted quickly taking the tape without the notorious artist ever realizing it was gone.
As the documentary continued, we learned of how the Chicago Sun-Times got a hold of the tape and reached out to Sparkle, R. Kelly’s former protege, to identify the younger girl. To her dismay, she was able to, unfortunately, ID her as the niece she introduced to Kelly as a music mentee.
Headlines went wild about the leaked tape of the superstar having alleged sexual intercourse with an underage girl. Not to mention, passed similar lawsuits the singer faced which were settled out of court thanks to a check and Non-Disclosure Agreements between him, his team, and his victims’ families. But it was the disgust of realizing the people around him knew all about his disturbing ways that really hit home. Music producer Craig Williams even admitted that everyone in Kelly’s camp knew. Basically, having “yes men” in his corner only made his crimes even easier to get away with.
Singer and father, John Legend, who’s been very vocal about his participation in the docu being a no-brainer explained his astonishment at the information that was uncovered.
“It shows how rich and powerful men get away with a lot of things, but it also shows the power and balance between victim and abuser.”
An even more disturbing factor was the lack of accountability anyone held against R. Kelly as everything began to be uncovered. Constant delays in setting a trial date worked greatly in his favor. He was able to continue to make music and money due to his fans’ unwavering support, and even sang at the opening of the 2002 Olympics. His defense team also acknowledged that the less relevant the tapes are, the less serious it will be taken in court. Especially if the girls who agreed to testify were significantly older after six years, it would be harder to picture them as underage victims.
Music critic Jamila Lemieux made the interesting realization that many did not want to admit: protecting a huge, Black icon like R. Kelly was more important than protecting our black girls.
The second episode revealed more from Andrea’s perspective. She spoke on doctors inducing her risky pregnancy due to her stress level and giving birth without her husband there. All that aside, what turned the sweet day of the birth of her child sour was finding out on the news that R. Kelly was finally arrested for 21 counts of child pornography. The lonely mother admitted the days to come were dark for her and she thought of committing suicide.
She eventually decided to leave her abusive husband without a penny to her name. Filing for divorce wasn’t a humbling situation for the legendary singer, however. He took that opportunity to “punish” Andrea by not paying child support and letting their home get foreclosed.
As the trial carried on, individuals, both supportive and disgusted, stood outside the courthouse waiting for results. Among the pro-Kelly team was “superfan” 14-year-old Jerhonda Pace, who had her own moments speaking words of encouragement to Robert (who was found not guilty) as he would head through court doors. Little did she know, she would be the immediate next victim of R. Kelly’s game of sexual, physical, and mental pattern of abuse.
– Blogged By: @iamb_chianne
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