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Thursday, May 10, 2018

News Hits

Detroit filmmaker pegged for Lifetime docu-series on R. Kelly

Posted By Jerilyn Jordan on Thu, May 10, 2018 at 1:14 PM

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The floor is falling out from beneath R&B star and accused sexual predator R. Kelly. Though his alleged transgressions have been in the public eye for quite some time, he has maintained a semi-successful career and continues to sell-out concerts, as he did last summer in Detroit.

As more allegations come to light, Kelly's alleged victims have been given a larger platform from which to share their experiences. They'll now be featured in a Lifetime network full-length film and a documentary series. For the series, Lifetime has enlisted the help of Detroit activist and filmmaker dream hampton, who will serve as executive producer.

“Some very brave black women have trusted us with their stories, their truth, and their trauma,” dream hampton told Billboard.“They are survivors and I’m honored to share their stories with the world.”

Lifetime says the docu-series will explore the allegations against Kelly through the lens of survivors of his alleged abuse. People close to the performer will also share yet-to-be-reported details regarding his alleged history of abuse.

In a statement, the network says the series will attempt to "lift the veil on the secretive inner world of R. Kelly, bringing to light the shocking allegations of abuse and twisted mind games."

Kelly's rampant abuse of power began with his "secret" marriage to Detroit's own Aaliyah in 1994 when she was just 15 (Vibe produced a marriage certificate in which the singer's age appeared falsified to say she was 18). Later, Kelly would stand trial on child pornography charges after sex tapes surfaced, including one that lawyers said showed him peeing in the mouth of a 14-year-old. Kelly was acquitted of all charges in 2008. Last summer, Kelly was back in the spot light after women outed him as the alleged leader of a "sex cult."

After Kelly's lawyer, publicist, and assistant severed ties with the singer last month, it was announced that the #TimesUp and #MuteRKelly movements would join forces to urge corporations and fans to do the same. The troubled performer suffered another hit this week as streaming giant Spotify said it would remove Kelly's music from "Spotify owned and operated playlists and algorithmic recommendations," citing their "hate content and hateful conduct policy." Spotify went on to say that it would not promote Kelly's music to because it does not reflect the company's values.

Both projects are currently untitled and are part of Lifetime's reboot of its Violence Against Women campaign, which will partner with educational awareness organizations to support and empower women.

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Tags: R. Kelly, Vibe, Lifetime, detroit, dream hampton, Image