00:06he was one of the most accomplished recording artist of all time his singing and songwriting
00:12skills were unmatched when it came to producing great music his voice was smooth his lyrics were
00:17seductive but he could also uplift millions with his motivational tunes but behind the supreme
00:23hit maker's public persona lied skeletons that were trapped in his closet let's take a look
00:29back at the former music icon that was our kelly and find out what actually happened growing up in
00:37the slums of the south side of chicago the odds were truly stacked against kelly but he wouldn't fall
00:43victim to the less than ideal circumstances to his benefit kelly had a religious mother that kept him
00:50in church and off the streets in his formative years his family would discover he had some serious
00:56talent while singing in the church choir a music teacher at his high school also recognized his
01:03powerful and heartwarming voice in class and i saw a light inside of it a glow a gift in a
01:13spirit
01:13being guided from above
01:27i taught him how to play piano worked with his singing taught him how to write and made him participate
01:36in producing
01:37a writing a musical every year and also taught him how to sing you know in the operatic spirit
01:58she pushed him to enter an annual talent show and showcase his gift to the entire school after performing a
02:06stevie wonder classic
02:07in front of hundreds of students in attendance kelly would come out victorious among his peers
02:12this would be his first taste of success through music and he quickly realized how far his talent could actually
02:19take him going forward kelly later linked up with a few other local singers and they formed a r&b
02:25group
02:25with him of course being the lead vocalist we have just two finalists left and only one of them can
02:31be a big break artist of the year
02:33and win a hundred thousand dollars in cash and prizes will it be the current leader altrina grayson with 255
02:40points
02:41or will our last contestant r kelly and mgm manage to unseat her and get the grand prize
02:47well it's too cruel to wait any longer to find out what happened so let's get to it remember
02:53altrina has 255 points and unless r kelly and mgm score higher than that
02:58altrina will be the champion okay for r kelly and mgm they receive
03:05280 points
03:06r kelly and mgm is the champion a hundred thousand dollars in cash and prizes
03:12thank you altrina you made it you made it thus far good luck to you i'm sure we'll see more
03:17of you
03:18all right kelly and mgm
03:20but like most talented frontmen r kelly envisioned a solo career and the band would be just another
03:26stepping stone on his journey rob signed with a major music label shortly after going solo and began
03:33recording for his first standalone project the introductory album featured a number of future
03:39classics that music listeners gravitated to not only was he singing extremely well throughout the album
03:45he also showcased his supreme skill as a great songwriter as well for the following years
03:51he went on to amass quite a stellar catalogue in the music world kelly was able to masterfully mash
03:57together hip-hop and r&b like no other had done before his mainstream crossover appeal led to collaborations
04:04the who's who of pop culture's biggest artist from working with global sensations like the king of pop
04:11all the way to fan favorites like celine dion
04:14not only was he making music that older listeners could share romance to
04:18you
04:20he also wrote songs that inspired millions to saw the skies
04:23the iconic singer won billboard awards grammys and american music awards and many other notable trophies too
04:31earned a spot on his mantle
04:33robert was sitting on top of the world for nearly a decade thanks to his successful music career
04:39but in the early 2000s his larger-than-life image would be put in question by the public
05:00of the world for nearly a decade
05:04and you can come home with me
05:12while r kelly was indeed
05:14first accused of sexual relationships involving minors very early in his career
05:19the stories would fly under the radar in the media and things were handled quietly behind the scenes
05:26but in the 2000s things wouldn't be so easily brushed under the rug
05:30in the summer of 2002 a leaked video titled a kelly triple x began to surface on the streets of
05:37chicago
05:42the explicit recording was said to feature the adult singer engaging in very lewd acts with younger women
05:48the film was sent anonymously to the chicago suntime newspaper then given to the local pd
05:54with the police in possession of the highly inappropriate video
05:58r kelly was charged with multiple criminal counts involving the child sexual abuse footage
06:04he was arrested the following day in his florida home
06:07the detectives on the scene while conducting the arrest
06:11also seized other images from separate encounters
06:14which he had stored on a digital camera
06:17after posting seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars for bail
06:20kelly pleaded not guilty in the court hearing
06:23the pop star was still allowed to operate as a free man
06:26while the legal matter was being handled behind the scenes
06:30in the public eye r kelly would continue to deny the allegations
06:33when asked questions surrounding the case
06:37it would take years for the trial to actually take place
06:40but in the meantime
06:43r kelly continued to make hit songs
06:45and tore the world as if the matter was resolved
06:47and he was one hundred percent innocent in the scandal
06:51rarely a radio host or tv personality
06:54bring up the elephant in the room
06:56when he was out promoting his latest projects
06:59when the trial finally began six years after the charges were pursued
07:03many people had already moved on from the scandal
07:06some assumed kelly was innocent all along
07:09others still were uncertain
07:11but the initial outrage and interest pertaining to the case
07:15had subsided a substantial amount
07:17as the trial was underway
07:20the jury deemed the video evidence that was presented in court
07:23could not clearly confirm if the person in question was a minor or not
07:28because of this reasonable doubt
07:30kelly was acquitted of all the charges
07:32that had cast a dark shadow over his career
07:35once his name was finally cleared of any wrongdoing
07:39bigger musical artists decided to work with him again
07:42despite his very shady history
07:44but as time went on
07:46and the internet became very relevant with the masses
07:50more and more details that weren't so well known before
07:53began to resurface and spread online
07:56one of the biggest controversies that was rediscovered
07:59was his marriage to the singer alia
08:02she was just 15 years old
08:04and he was nine years her senior when they illegally tied the knot
08:08the general public had also learned more about the stars past civil lawsuits
08:13regarding minors
08:14over time a newer generation of artists emerged in the r&b genre
08:19and began to take over the music scene
08:21the music legend would slowly fade into obscurity for the following years
08:26but his name would emerge in the headlines once again
08:29after the lifetime network released a miniseries titled
08:33surviving r kelly
08:35the documentary would go into depth analyzing the former stars relationships
08:39his past behaviors
08:41and bring forth new accusations
08:43from the people that knew him best
08:45the traction gained from the miniseries
08:48created a large media storm that no one could have predicted
08:52with today's social climate being vastly different than what he dealt with in the past
08:56he was essentially cancelled by the public
08:59they carry almost everything
09:01but you won't find r&b singer r kelly's music here at sonic boom in toronto
09:05and now over a decade later of facing sexual misconduct allegations
09:09sony music has dropped the singer as well
09:12this move comes weeks after the documentary surviving r kelly aired
09:16where multiple women came forward accusing the singer of sexual misconduct allegations
09:21his upcoming tours were scrapped and most radio stations opted to remove all of his classic songs from their rotation
09:29law enforcement's pursuit of kelly was also reignited
09:32a credible source came forward and alleged he had obtained a tape of kelly with a 14 year old
09:38engaging in very adult activities
09:41the aging star was already down on his luck
09:44and facing public backlash and intense scrutiny
09:48what do you say to the multiple fans
09:52the many fans who are watching and listening
09:55that say there have been multiple accusations against you
09:59against young women in chicago
10:01and they are concerned about your past
10:03and that's impacting them from purchasing your music sales
10:06i love them all
10:06it doesn't matter who they are
10:08if they hate me they love me they want to destroy me whatever
10:11i love them all
10:12and i love you too
10:14you don't need to give me any of your love sir
10:16i love everybody
10:17you really don't need to give me your love
10:18i just wanted to ask the question
10:19what do you say to the
10:20what do you say to the fans
10:22your fans who don't want to buy your music
10:24yeah i'm not going to allow you to do that
10:26but i love you
10:27i love my fans
10:28okay i have a video question for you from a fan
10:30i have no video questions for me
10:31because this interview is over
10:33okay well mr k
10:34thank you very much for coming to us
10:35i'm not asking you answering my questions
10:38thank you so much
10:38but thank you for being here
10:40you don't have to comment on my appearance sir
10:43kelly was later charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse
10:47following the recent police investigation
10:50more charges would be added
10:52when another alleged incident involving a minor emerged in the media
10:56against his advisor's wishes
10:58kelly decided to speak out about the matter on national television
11:02but the sit down interview did not help his image much at all
11:07what how stupid would i be to do that
11:10i didn't say that's stupid guys
11:12i didn't is this camera on me
11:14yes that's stupid
11:16use your common sense
11:18i didn't do this stuff
11:20this is not me y'all
11:22i'm fighting for my life
11:24y'all killing me with this
11:26i gave you 30 years of my career
11:30robert
11:3130 years of my career
11:34and y'all trying to kill me
11:37you killing me man
11:39this is not about music
11:41i'm trying to have a relationship with my kids
11:44and i can't do it
11:47y'all just don't want to believe the truth
11:49you don't want to believe it
11:51kelly now faced criminal cases in three u.s states
11:55pertaining to his dealings with underage girls
11:58he was on trial once again
12:00but no longer did he have his superstar status
12:03as a protective shield
12:05the music industry had already moved on entirely from the singer
12:09and his fans could no longer support the fallen star
12:13he was tried and convicted in two major federal trials
12:17he was sentenced to serve 30 years in federal prison for the crimes
12:22many point to the odd fetish stemming from childhood trauma
12:26it has been rumored kelly also was taken advantage of by an adult
12:30when he was only eight years old
12:33but what are your thoughts on this story
12:36do you still think he is an innocent man despite the conviction
12:40do you think 30 years in prison is a reasonable sentence
12:43for the crimes committed
12:45leave a comment below and let me know
13:05you
