'Silly b***h is screaming rape': How R Kelly's lyrics shed light on years of sex abuse
Disgraced singer R Kelly was convicted in charges of sex trafficking and racketeering after an emotionally charged trial, where several survivors testified against him. The former singer abused and exploited many women, some of who were even underage. The horrifying testimonies of Kelly's victims shocked everyone as they narrated excruciating details of how they were trafficked and sexually assaulted in their teens by the singer.
The R&B star, who was once one of the leading musicians of his time, released many hits and collaborated with many other prominent musicians as well. However, the lyrics of his songs were often vulgar and comprised shocking phrases, which demeaned and objectified women. In the face of his sex abuse trial, his lyrics unearthed disturbing clues about his pattern of behavior, including how he groomed and abused former partner Aaliyah.
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R. Kelly got teen bride Aaliyah pregnant and also had sex with her mother, claims alleged survivor
R. Kelly infamously married Aaliyah in 1994 when he was 27 years and she was just a teenager of 14 years. In the beginning, he acted as a mentor to the aspiring singer, but eventually he ended up marrying her illegally. It was revealed much later in the documentary 'Surviving R. Kelly', that Kelly had bribed a welfare officer to falsify Aaliyah identifcation as 18 years old so that the duo could get married. However, their marriage was annulled the following year. Aaliyah passed away tragically in 2001 in a plane crash when she was 22.
In Aaliyah's hit song 'Age Ain't Nothing But a Number', which was produced by Kelly, the lyrics hint as disturbing patterns of R.Kelly's abuse. The young singer dropped the track at an age of 14 years, which makes the entire song all the more problematic. In the track, Aaliyah sings, "Age ain't nothing but a number/Throwing down ain't nothing but a thing/This something I have for you it'll never change." She also pleads with an older lover to "let her in".
In Kelly's own track 'She's Got That Vibe', he rapped the most bizarre and offensive lyrics about Aaliyah, who was barely a child of 12 years at that time. He includes the mention of "little cute Aaliyah" among the list of women who have "got it". He further sings, "Girl you turn me on/And I wonder/If I could take you home/I must confess/The tight mini-skirt you wear/I just can't help it baby/I can't help but stare."
In another song 'Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)', the lyrics written and sung by Kelly goes — 'Secret lovers, undercover on the DL/ Getting busy in the back of his Mercedes every night'. The most shocking part comes later, which says, 'He's out the front, I'm in the back/I locks the front, he's in the back/And I'll be damned, that silly b***h is screaming 'rape''. In the view of Kelly's sexual abuse, where he ordered his underage victims to keep their "relationship" secret, the song sounds more horrifying than ever.
Another explicit track 'I Like The Crotch On You' contains offensive lyrics like 'And once you see the D's/Oh, you're gonna want to freak me, freak me/Only if you're old enough, baby/Eighteen and over or sixteen and under'. The 1993 track hinted at accusations against Kelly of 'preying' on underage teens. The singer went on to sexually assault more teenage girls for years, all of whom now came forward to share the ordeals that changed their lives forever. The survivors celebrated after Kelly was found guilty on all counts and can earn life imprisonment sentence.