For years, there has been a #MuteRKelly campaigned aimed at forcing the singer out of the spotlight. R. Kelly has a long history of criminal behavior with young women. The popular singer has been taken to court multiple times, but the cases have all been demised or settled out of court.
R. Kelly’s latest run-in with the law claimed that he had started a sex cult and was keep women against their will. So far the #MuteRKelly campaign has very little success, but that could be changing soon.
Spotify cuts some ties with Kelly
Spotify announced it will no longer promote the controversial singer’s music. Even though Spotify’s decision is bold, many critics say it doesn’t go far enough. The streaming service is still allowing Kelly’s music to stay on their site. On Thursday Spotify announced a new “hate content and hateful conduct policy.”
In a statement Spotify said, “We don’t censor content because of an artist’s or creator’s behavior” but continued on to say “when an artist or creator does something that is harmful (for example, violence against children and sexual violence) it may affect the ways we work with or support that artist or creator.”
Kelly is so far the only artist Spotify has publicly said will be affected by the new policy.
Spotify may need to cut more
Even though some applauded the move, it was still criticized by others for not being harsh enough. Accusations against Kelly have continued to grow and late last week two more women came forward accusing the singer of alleged sexual abuse.
Kelly’s career has apparently been affected by the movement and accusations, but the singer still performs and sells records. A few of his recent concerts have been canceled due to poor ticket sales, but that hasn’t stopped Kelly from continuing to tour.
Even though Spotify may stop promoting Kelly, he will still profit from having his music on the site. Kelly may be taken off playlists, but Spotify users will still be able to access his music. Some people think Spotify must take Kelly’s music off the site completely for it to make any real difference.
