MuteRKelly was a hashtag started last year by activist Kenyette Barnes, but today, celebrities such as Ava Duvernay, John Legend, Quest Love, and more have joined the movement. This comes after Vince Staples criticized Kelly during an interview at Coachella earlier this month. In March, artist and producer Jack Antonoff tweeted that he'd asked RCA to drop Kelly multiple times.
Kelly supports the pro-women goals of the Time’s Up movement. We understand criticizing a famous artist is a good way to draw attention to those goals—and in this case, it is unjust and off-target. We fully support the rights of women to be empowered to make their own choices. Time’s Up has neglected to speak with any of the women who welcome R. Kelly’s support, and it has rushed to judgment without the facts. Soon it will become clear Mr. Kelly is the target of a greedy, conscious and malicious conspiracy to demean him, his family and the women with whom he spends his time.
Kelly’s music is a part of American and African-American culture that should never—and will never—be silenced. Since America was born, black men and women have been lynched for having sex or for being accused of it. We will vigorously resist this attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture.