R. Kelly and Sony Music have reportedly agreed to part ways amidst a slew of sexual misconduct allegations, according to Billboard. This comes a few weeks after the airing of the explosive documentary Surviving R. Kelly, which chronicled the musician’s highly-discussed history involving teenage girls and women.
A source reveals to the publication, “Kelly had been signed to Jive since the beginning of his career in the early 1990s, and when Jive became part of Sony BMG, he became part of the Sony umbrella. He has been under contract at RCA, a Sony subsidiary, since 2012.” Protests calling for Sony to drop the Pied Piper of R&B took place outside of the company’s Manhattan offices on Wednesday (Jan. 16).
After the debut of the six-part docuseries, which aired over a span of three days in early-January, several former collaborators of Kelly, including Chance The Rapper, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, have removed their songs featuring the singer-songwriter from streaming services. Kelly is reportedly under criminal investigation in both Georgia and Illinois and is said to be a direct result of allegations made in the Lifetime documentary.
“Allegations against Kelly have been around for over a decade, and he was acquitted on child pornography charges in 2008,” Billboard continues. “But they have resurfaced repeatedly in recent years, with the latest arriving this month. Kelly has repeatedly denied all allegations of misconduct.”