R. Kelly continues to be haunted by past allegations of sexual misconduct. According to the The Columbus Dispatch, R. Kelly was cut from the Fashion Meets Music Festival.
Apparently, promoters of the festival received backlash from the public who spoke out against his alleged history of sexual abuse. The public outcry occurred after a local Columbus band, Saintseneca, pulled out of the festival because of R. Kelly.
But the last straw may have been the loss of a sponsor. A radio station, WCBE, withdrew its sponsorship to the festival due to a potential performance by R. Kelly.
Before other sponsors stepped away, the festival promoters cut Kelly.
Kelly has not been convicted of any sexual crime, but his image was tarnished after he was linked to the infamous sex tape featuring a 14-year-old girl in the early 2000s.
Last year, a story in the Village Voice revealed shocking testimony from the case. According to the story, R. Kelly would recruit 14 and 15-year-old girls to have sex with them in exchange for new sneakers. The story also claimed that Kelly bribed a victim’s family by sending them to South France for six months.
Kelly’s publicist released a statement regarding his dismissal from the music festival by saying, “R. Kelly is sorry to disappoint his fans but looks forward to seeing them in the near future during one of his upcoming tours.”
Although some are reluctant to allow R. Kelly to move beyond the allegations, others have shown support. His latest album, Black Panties, has sold 300,000 copies thus far.
