Singer R Kelly, 50, is no stranger to controversy and scandal regarding his sexual activities with women, and primarily underage girls. During his career, he has been accused of the Rape of multiple minors. One accusation included video taped evidence of him urinating in a fourteen-year-old girl's mouth and demanding she calls him "daddy", another of him coercing teenage girls into group sex activities. He married underage singer Aaliyah when she was fifteen years old, legally too young to consent to the marriage, after mentoring her from the age of just twelve.
In each instance, the cases have been dismissed due to lack of evidence or his accusers have settled out of court, R Kelly wielding a significant amount of power as a millionaire man in the music industry.
Sex cult allegations
On July 17th, Buzzfeed's Jim DeRogatis published an article including claims and evidence regarding a new accusation against R Kelly, that he is running a sex Cult where several women are being held captive.
According to a @BuzzFeedNews report, parents are accusing R. Kelly for allegedly holding their daughters in a cult. https://t.co/avSMtfUX4b
— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) 17 July 2017
Three women, Mack who worked as his personal assistant, and Jones and McGee who were part of his sex cult, have shared similar stories about the circumstances for the women living in R Kelly's residence.
The women are told when they can eat, when they can drink, when they can use the bathroom. A "den mother", the former friend of the fourteen-year-old girl from the urination rape tape, coaches new arrivals on how to sexually satisfy R Kelly. The women have their access to the outside world strictly controlled with limited access to telephones and social media.
The interview with an alleged victim
In a video interview with TMZ, one woman whose parents have come forward to claim she is being held captured denies the allegations. She states she is safe and well, where she wants to be, and not to worry. The vagueness about when she last communicated with her parents, and the refusal to state where she is nor how many other women are with her.
However, has raised alarms for some, seeming to add credence to the accusations.
R. Kelly's Alleged Captive Joycelyn Savage Speaks Out, I'm No Hostage | TMZ https://t.co/vofn4qM5Lw
— NG504 (@NiceGuy504) 18 July 2017
Can anything be done?
The women currently were known, or suspected, to be held by R. Kelly all appear to be there of their own free will and are legally adult. Even though there are accusations of "brainwashing" and domination, there is very little the police or families can do.
In a discussion on The Young Turks, Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur describe the complications when handling cases such as this. Unless any of the women involved choose to come forward and press charges, it's unlikely that anything will happen.
R. Kelly Keeping Women In A “Cult”: https://t.co/qWDDietB5F via @YouTube
— The Young Turks (@TheYoungTurks) 18 July 2017
Men with power
We see time and time again in the society that men with money and power are able to carry on in society relatively unscathed by even the most serious of abuse accusations. The silencing of women is notorious, and black women seem to be the most likely to remain unheard. Will anything happen to R Kelly in the light of these reports? We will just have to wait and see.