Take R Kelly’s smug face off Spotify altogether | Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff

The #MuteRKelly campaign is causing the people and companies still working with the singer to take action

I was pleased to learn that Spotify has decided to remove R Kelly from its playlists, but the question remains as to whether the music-streaming service has gone far enough. “We don’t censor content because of an artist’s or creator’s behaviour, but we want our editorial decisions – what we choose to program – to reflect our values,” it announced, meaning that Kelly’s music will still appear on the application, presumably a search bar away.

For context, Kelly faces a host of allegations dating back to the early 90s, including of a marriage to Aaliyah when she was reportedly just 15; lawsuits alleging sex with underage girls, which were settled out of court; and a 2008 acquittal on charges of taping himself having sex with a 13-year-old. This is a remarkably lucky man who has never quite been chained, singing sweet lullabies all the while.

Related: Time's Up's Women of Color demand investigation into allegations of abuse by R Kelly

Kelly is wealthy enough to self-release his music in some way or another, I’m sure

Continue reading...