I watched the original Space Jam with my kids recently. At the part where R. Kelly starts crooning “I believe I can fly” I felt uneasy. I had muted him years ago after it became apparent that he was a sex predator who particularly got his kicks from abusing young Black girls. So at our wedding reception almost nine years ago, I asked the DJ not to play any of his songs. Kelly finally got sentenced to prison after a career preying on the vulnerable. Thankfully, the voices defending him have been largely quiet in the aftermath. When Jerhonda Johnson came to support (and defend) him for previous charges and was later one of the many women traumatized by his abuse, it became impossible to put up any defense.
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