In the past few days, social media lit up again with instances of women coming out against their sex abusers, spurred by the Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly. One woman accused “Morning View” rapper Towkio of rape and Social Experiment drummer Stix of sexual assault, prompting Chance The Rapper, closely associated to both entertainers to speak out earlier today.
In the past 2 days I’ve heard too many stories of domestic abuse, sexual violence and rape perpetrated by ppl I called friends. I am ashamed of yall. These stories will be amplified and your victims will receive the justice they deserve.
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) January 9, 2019
“In the past 2 days I’ve heard too many stories of domestic abuse, sexual violence and rape perpetrated by ppl I called friends,” he wrote. “I am ashamed of yall. These stories will be amplified and your victims will receive the justice they deserve.” Chance himself had received a minor backlash for speaking out against R. Kelly in a clip shown during Surviving in which he admitted his continued support of the singer in 2014 and 2015 had revealed a callous disregard for Black women’s stories.
https://twitter.com/pppermint/status/1081980980397858816
After apologizing for not taking a stand sooner, it appears that Chance has resolved to be more forthcoming in publicly holding abusers responsible, even those he counts among his friends. It’s worth noting that the R. Kelly situation seems instructional; because he was not held accountable for so long, he naturally set an example for younger artists to likewise abuse their platforms. It’s why it’s so important for men to call each other to the floor and demand accountability, because the cycle begins and ends with us.
