The backlash against R. Kelly has been severe and unrelenting since the premiere of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary. All the while, Kelly has been signed with RCA Records (which is owned by Sony Music), but that appears to have changed now: Billboard reports that Sony and Kelly have agreed to part ways. Kelly was previously under contract with RCA since 2012.
Neither Sony nor Kelly have confirmed the news, but Kelly’s page on the RCA website is no longer accessible.
A few days ago, TMZ reported that RCA “will not produce any of the singer’s new music, it will not put money behind any of his projects, and it will not release any additional music until the criminal investigations in Georgia and other fallout resolve one way or the other.” The publication also noted that Kelly had two albums left on his contract with RCA.
This comes after multiple sources have urged Sony and RCA to part ways with Kelly. Most recently, a plane with a “Drop Sexual Predator R. Kelly” banner flew over Sony’s offices, and before that, a petition with the same motive was started in 2017, and it has over 100,000 signatures. Kelly’s former label mate also wrote last year in a now-deleted tweet, “I hope my label drops R. Kelly. I’ve discussed it with them a number of times.”
