Why was R Kelly popular to begin with?

[Samof94]

I never understood how he got so popular when it was obvious he was a creepy pedophile even then. The illegal wedding was in 1994, not more recently. What made him different than someone a bit less problematic than him around the same time?

[Mr. Smith]

He could sing. So,...~insert Donald Trump quote here~

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

People didn't really care about celebrity misbehavior back then. Look at how Michael Jackson's allegations and charges didn't even come close to derailing his career or how the case of Bill Cosby was known but ignores for decades.

[Progressive Pessimist]

He was a good singer and produced some catchy songs.

[Rand]

I like him because I have a fetish for rapper pee.

[vitoNova]

"U Remind Me of Something" is kinda dope though.  Gotta admit.

"You remind me of my jeep...
...I wanna ride it
something like my sound
I wanna pump it"

Elizabethan Era levels of poetic genius.   (unironically)

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

R Kelly pisses me off.

[Alben Barkley]

"I Believe I Can Fly" and "Ignition (Remix)" are catchy songs, what more is there to say?

[Samof94]

People didn't really care about celebrity misbehavior back then. Look at how Michael Jackson's allegations and charges didn't even come close to derailing his career or how the case of Bill Cosby was known but ignores for decades.

R Kelly's allegations were well known in the 00s yet he was still popular as late as 2013. Lady Gaga of all people performed with him, but she deleted the song and it no longer exists.

[Del Tachi]

R Kelly's career as a performer was always second to his status as a producer, where he made music for stars as high profile as Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey.  He's one of the guys who first figured out how you can put Rap/R&B on the radio.  As Joe Biden would say, R. Kelly is a "big f***** deal"   

[ingemann]

People didn't really care about celebrity misbehavior back then. Look at how Michael Jackson's allegations and charges didn't even come close to derailing his career or how the case of Bill Cosby was known but ignores for decades.

Michael Jackson’s accusation did derail his career, but MJ and RK are two different people, MJ was the biggest star, as such the accusations hit harder. As for RK he was just a star and in a time before the Internet fewer people heard about the case.

People also didn’t see a teenagers as children in the same way we do today. While the victims of the crime MJ was accused up were very clearly children.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

People didn't really care about celebrity misbehavior back then. Look at how Michael Jackson's allegations and charges didn't even come close to derailing his career or how the case of Bill Cosby was known but ignores for decades.

Michael Jackson’s accusation did derail his career, but MJ and RK are two different people, MJ was the biggest star, as such the accusations hit harder. As for RK he was just a star and in a time before the Internet fewer people heard about the case.

People also didn’t see a teenagers as children in the same way we do today. While the victims of the crime MJ was accused up were very clearly children.

How did it derail his career?

He had two albums after they surfaced, both opened at #1. He had a very succesful world tour, plenty of other very succesful sold out concerts and was un-canceled enough to do benefits for 9/11 and the DNC.

Really it wasn't until after his death that his legacy endured any sort of backlash, like that Simpsons episode being completely pulled out of circulation after that documentary on him....but that was more than 20 years after the allegations surfaced.

[ingemann]

People didn't really care about celebrity misbehavior back then. Look at how Michael Jackson's allegations and charges didn't even come close to derailing his career or how the case of Bill Cosby was known but ignores for decades.

Michael Jackson’s accusation did derail his career, but MJ and RK are two different people, MJ was the biggest star, as such the accusations hit harder. As for RK he was just a star and in a time before the Internet fewer people heard about the case.

People also didn’t see a teenagers as children in the same way we do today. While the victims of the crime MJ was accused up were very clearly children.

How did it derail his career?

He had two albums after they surfaced, both opened at #1. He had a very succesful world tour, plenty of other very succesful sold out concerts and was un-canceled enough to do benefits for 9/11 and the DNC.

Really it wasn't until after his death that his legacy endured any sort of backlash, like that Simpsons episode being completely pulled out of circulation after that documentary on him....but that was more than 20 years after the allegations surfaced.

While he had success afterward he never were the same, I think you have the same age as me, and I remember him pretty much being the greatest star and with the scandals his star slowly fell and then he disappeared for decades until we mostly forgot the scandals and he restarted his career, but ended up dying.

As for his post-death backlash it lasted relative short and his songs returned again.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Now, hold on tight 'cause I'm about to go faster, babe
Girl, you're dealin' with a pro behind this wheel, babe
So tell me, have you ever driven a stick, babe?
You'll be screamin' every time we shift them gears, babe
So brace yourself while I'm hittin' them corners, babe
And when it's over, put that Kells on your license plates
Now buckle up 'cause this could get bumpy, babe
Girl, we gon' mess around and get a ticket, babe

(not sure if porn is allowed on Atlas, sorry in advance)

[GP270watch]

 The man's talent is undeniable.

 Nobody did anything about R Kelly because he was making too many people rich. He literally wrote at least a billion dollars of music. The "Me Too" movement and victims having more direct means to tell their stories is what brought down a lot of predators.

[Statilius the Epicurean]

ctrl+f "trapped in a closet" nothing found
SMH

[Samof94]

The man's talent is undeniable.

 Nobody did anything about R Kelly because he was making too many people rich. He literally wrote at least a billion dollars of music. The "Me Too" movement and victims having more direct means to tell their stories is what brought down a lot of predators.

Yeah, including people who made movie soundtracks.