R-Kelly was credited with helping to redefine R&B and hip hop and was known for his extensive discography of hits spanning 3 decades
By Mosope Okeowo
American singer, songwriter, and record producer, Robert Sylvester Kelly better known as R. Kelly, on Wednesday, June 29, was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
The 55-year-old who was accused of using his fame to ensnare victims he sexually abused was sentenced following his conviction last year on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
Prosecutors had recommended that the judge sentence R-Kelly to more than 25 years behind bars, but his defense attorneys countered, making a case for 10 or fewer and labelled the prosecutors’ request as “tantamount to a life sentence.”
Prior to the judgment, in September 2022, a jury convicted Kelly on nine counts, including one charge of racketeering and eight counts of violations of the Mann Act, a sex trafficking law.
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Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York accused Kelly of using his status as a celebrity and a “network of people at his disposal to target girls, boys and young women for his own sexual gratification.
R-Kelly until his sentencing, was credited with helping to redefine Rhythm and Blues (R&B) and hip hop and was known for his extensive discography of hits spanning three decades.
He has sold over 75 million records worldwide, which made him the most successful male R&B artist of the 1990s and one of the world’s best-selling music artists ever.
He won three Grammy Awards for his song “I Believe I Can Fly” and has written, produced, and remixed songs, singles, and albums for several artists, including Michael Jackson, for which he was nominated for a Grammy.
