R. Kelly Dropped By Sony Records

Allegations against R. Kelly have floated around for over a decade now. Industry rumor seemed to become closer to the truth after he was acquited of child pornography charges in 2008. The claims became stronger after that.

Last May, Spotify added a hateful conduct policy. All of R. Kelly’s music was removed from the streaming services’ curated playlists. At the time, Spotify was both praised and criticized for the move. Some said that it was a slippery slope, given that the artist was never convicted of a charge. They eventually went back on the decision. But now, they may regret that choice as well.

The documentary Surviving R. Kelly lit a fire under the general public after detailing the numerous sexual misconduct allegations against the R&B star. After reports of the singer running a “sex cult” emerged, combined with the documentary and the #metoo movement, the #muteRKelly movement began. Soon, petitions called for the artist to be dropped from his label. The woman’s organization UltraViolet flew a plane and a sign that read “RCA/Sony: Drop Sexual Predator R. Kelly” over Sony’s Los Angeles headquarters. Protests also occurred outside the record label’s New York office.

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Sony listened. The company has ended it’s working relationship with the singer, according to Billboard. R. Kelly was removed from the RCA Records website on 1:00 PM EST on January 18.

Kelly’s back catalog will still be controlled by Sony/RCA. His last release for the label was a 2016 Christmas album. He’s released numerous singles independently since then. Earlier this year, the singer tweeted that he had a new album on the way but it will now most likely not see the light of day.

Kelly began his career in the early 1990s signed to Jive. Jive became a part of Sony BMG which brought the predator under the Sony Umbrella. In 2012, he signed a contract with RCA, a subsidiary.