I thought this dude was canceled.
Suggested Reading
Apparently not. And as a recent show in Greensboro, N.C., reveals, R. Kelly is still as nasty as he wanna be, with his fans there to support this accused child sexual predator and woman abuser.
The Associated Press reports that the singer told the crowd gathered for his concert Friday night that he had “been through a lot” in recent days.
As reported by The Root, that includes a vigorous social media campaign by scores of prominent black women under the hashtag #MuteRKelly, as well as the decision by music-streaming service Spotify to drop the 51-year-old R&B singer as part of its new “Hate Content & Hateful Conduct” policy. The #TimesUp Movement has reportedly taken on R. Kelly’s case, too.
Although protesters demonstrated outside the venue against Kelly, who denies all accusations against him, Kelly reportedly thanked his supporters for continuing to “fight for me.”
He also said that he was asked to perform a more “low key” set, but he did not take that advice, and continued to sing his sexually explicit songs—sexual-misconduct allegations against him be damned—including rubbing a fan’s smartphone between his legs and having another audience member wipe his face and crotch with a towel.
In response to his removal from Spotify, Kelly’s management released the following statement:
R. Kelly never has been accused of hate, and the lyrics he writes express love and desire. Mr. Kelly for 30 years has sung songs about his love and passion for women. He is innocent of the false and hurtful accusations in the ongoing smear campaign against him, waged by enemies seeking a payoff. He never has been convicted of a crime, nor does he have any pending criminal charges against him.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.