BESTIALITY AND OTHER STEREOTYPES TOWARDS MEN OF AFRICAN ORIGINS From Shakespeare's Othello to R. Kelly by Shana de Carsignac Mongwanga ATHENA-AFRICALIVES! Founder and Director Published November 2022
Research and publication paper by Shana Mongwanga-Eloko
CONTENT AND WRITINGS COPYRIGHT OF SHANA de CARSIGNAC MONGWANGA-ELOKO / ATHENA-ARICALIVES! CULTURE AND ADVOCACY
BESTIALITY AND OTHER STEREOTYPES TOWARDS MEN OF AFRICAN ORIGINS1 From Shakespeare's Othello to R. Kelly by Shana de Carsignac Mongwanga
INTRODUCTION
During my student years at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium a friend saw me reading Othello and said: 'I don't understand why we are trying to make people black when they were not, Shakespeare did not write about a black man in the 17th century so why do they put a black man on the cover of the play you are reading ?' I had to explain that Othello was a black man and that Englishman, William Shakespeare; whomever he really was, did write a whole play about a black Moor. Not his nemesis Iago as some would have you believe, but about Othello the Moor of Venice. He was as stunned as I was, when I also found out in my younger years.
Because it seems so far from our reality, which was plagued with daily micro-racist aggressions in 90's Belgium. But in Britain, it was not until 1997 that the illustrious National Theatre, the native country of Shakespeare deemed it acceptable to cast a black man as a black man. The absurdity of even writing this. Shakespeare wrote Othello around 1604 and it is based on a story by Gianbattista Giraldi Cinthio, published in Italy in 1565 'Un Capitano moro'2. The British library resource summarized it best when it writes: 'The basic idea of the play is so well known that it’s easy to forget the startling boldness of Shakespeare’s decision to take Cinthio’s brief tale of a doomed mixed-race marriage and transform it into a heart-breaking tragedy'3
This paper seeks to explore the stereotypes and themes of bestiality alleged in Shakespeare's work, from the perspective of a theatre practitioner that I am, having worked and performed for 30 years on stages in London and as a PhD student and researcher.
A. The new Othello 2022 has arrived at the National Theatre of Great Britain
A new production of Othello opened at the National Theatre in London. It usually is an event, as Othello is still one the Bard's best play and much loved; though the conundrum of having to cast a black man in an era of deliberate non-diversity made it difficult, if not impossible to perform Othello to high standards. So the narrative shifted from: he was not actually black-black, to: well, the story is not about Othello but Iago. Any excuse but to cast a black man as a black man.
The founder of the National Theatre, Sir Laurence Olivier, did in my opinion the best performance of Othello and it was captured on screen; although one must warn audience beforehand that; this is a black-faced performance, as it appears new generation are traumatised by seeing this without prior warning4.
As the new Othello production of the National theatre was about to open I went to search for that Laurence Olivier photo where I posed for in 2014, and it is nowhere to be found. Why ? I was told by a staff member, who was oblivious to the fact that the founder the institution she was working for did performed Othello as one of his all time greatest performance, albeit in a black-face. I was informed that such picture would not be at the National. I detailed what I was searching for, she replied that, well, if it's a black-faced photos it certainly would not have its place at the National. Well, why not I might object?
It has an educational value in a sense that, this institution did not in fact cast a black man as a black man, for decades after Laurence Olivier Black-faced Othello. There is no point of filling the place with mixed raced actor's photos and not actually casting them in prominent roles in productions, and they have to often move to the United States to do meaningful acting work. The illusion of diversity is not diversity.
B. Themes of Othello: race, bestiality or simple domestic life?
In my 2014 Othello paper I noted that 'although the play in itself is not essentially about prejudice in my opinion but about human nature. Our societies, theatres, films, art and cultural worlds have demonstrated their own limitations and prejudices by their reluctance to cast a black man or other ethnicities as Othello.7' The play is often referred to as Shakespeare's domestic play because the story is simply about a jealous man and his wife with no other elaborate plots. But somehow it is the reflection of various societies at the time and our modern and contemporary worlds that has brought about and exacerbated the race narrative and bestiality in Othello. Does Shakespeare exacerbates the bestiality of Othello or does he simply depicts the thoughts of characters such as Iago and Desdemona's father, Brabantio? Shakespeare's assertion of the thoughts of those characters towards Othello are actually relatively mild in comparison to today's racist slurs. The excerpts where there are references to Othello's race in a negative manners are mainly from Act I: ‘Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is tupping your white ewe', Roderigo refers to Othello as ‘the thick-lips’, Brabantio is convinced that his daughter could not have fallen for Othello without being drugged or bewitched.
Putting it in context that at the time, massive race narrative and dehumanizing of people of African origin was not as prominent as it would become in the following centuries, to justify slavery, colonialism and even neo-colonialism.
When Othello kills Desdemona he fulfils the racist stereotype that black men will ultimately revert to violent and barbaric behaviour, which to me is at the centre of the reflection that Shakespeare wanted us to have about this play. It is about ingrained stereotypes that we already have.
Shakespeare's Othello could be summarized as this: whatever a black man achieves in his lifetime you can always revert him to his bestiality and destroy all his achievements, thus continually degrading and erasing a whole group. Enter the Cancel Culture.
C. Cancel Culture process: Predominance target of black men and artists. Prosecutor, Judge and Jury. A commissioned documentary, a public outrage and a full on legal Prosecution.
Cancel Culture is defined as 'a way of behaving in a society or group, especially on social media, in which it is common to completely reject and stop supporting someone because they have said or done something that offends you' 8 and I would add without any due process from the cancelled individual, legal or otherwise.
When Cancel Culture is engineered and at work, it is the Prosecutor, Judge and Jury. The process with some high profile individual starts with a commissioned documentary, followed by a public campaign outrage lead on social media and a full on legal Prosecution.
In the Middle Ages and early Modern Times in Europe, the Inquisition was a 'judicial procedure and later an institution that was established by the papacy and, sometimes, by secular governments to combat heresy '9. Today we have the equivalent of religious zealots with the Cancel and Mute Culture which demands the general public to submit to the craze of the moment, often aided by an orchestrated media storm and a well commissioned documentary that has repulsed the public to nauseating levels, without any due legal process or despite any legal due process.
The following artists and personalities have been on the receiving end of cancel culture with or without legal due process: Michael Jackson , Bill Cosby and R. Kelly. Prominent African-American artists who achieved greatness in their field of work and reached worldwide audience. All three have had their reputation tarnished and destroyed despite pending legal due process, cases which have been dismissed or proven false. Ironically, cancel and its equally popular term woke, originate from Black culture only to be appropriated into the White mainstream10 to target its biggest stars.
The process of Cancel Culture could be described as as followed: A movement, or rather a well oiled process, which uses media momentum engineered by a few well connected people, using social media and the outrage and emotions that it creates to achieve a set agenda. It has rode on the #Metoo movement and cancel hashtags and culture, and attached itself to various prominent figures. Next phase is the celebrities and personalities endorsements to make it effective. Then the campaign can continue to live via the hashtags and wait for its momentum.
The commissioned documentary: In the cases of Michael Jackson and R. Kelly, Cancel Culture hashtags heightened following the broadcast of a worldwide documentary with an international scope and audience. Making sure the whole world witness the momentum. And a follow up reporting by broadcaster friends and TV gurus, African-American women: Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King, to endorse the campaign as non-race biased. What better place to achieve and reach worldwide audience than the well respected commissioning process from the UK and its broadcasting companies.
The similarity in the films are disturbing. Leaving Neverland11, a documentary about Michael Jackson alleged sexual abuse of two white boys was commissioned by unknown sources at British Channel 4, directed by Dan Reed, distributed by Channel 4 and HBO. Surviving R. Kelly12, a documentary about R. Kelly alleged sexual victims, was commissioned by unknown sources, written and directed by Nigel Bellis, Astral Finnie distributed by Bunim Murray and released on Lifetime Network. Both films were release in January 2019, have broke down viewing records13 and established their makers as household name with frequent re-runs and available on paid platforms such as Netflix. They continue to generate money for their makers.
By her own account in the Hollywood Reporter, Surviving R. Kelly director, Dream Hampton, was invited to join the already titled project : 'When the creative team at Bunim Murray invited me to helm Surviving R. Kelly, I understood it partly as a penance.14' So who initiated this project originally since it had the instant attention of Chicago Prosecutor Kim Foxx who immediately started prosecution and call in more potential victims?
Surviving R. Kelly docu-series was effectively commissioned to launch the Prosecution of the singer R. Kelly, Dream Hampton writes 'What I didn’t know was that Chicago District Attorney Kim Foxx and federal agents also were watching15' This is simply astonishing. On a random night a Prosecutor and her federal agents were all watching a TV program and the following day publicly called potential victims to come forward.
This further cement many people's beliefs that these are carefully orchestrated campaigns to first erode the public image before a full on Prosecution. I would urge the international legal community to look at these practices more in-depth and comment on it, for the sake of legal due process. Justice and fairness has to be applied to one and all.
Furthermore, on a closer look one discovers that Dream Hampton and Tamra Simmons, the two black women promoted as the main instigators of the docu-series were minor producers, with no outstanding credits in their careers. The main producers are white. This is crucial since it suggested the misleading narrative that this is a documentary initiated by black women, which it clearly was not from the onset.
Note the progressive use of the verb in both films title mentioned above, to clearly imply a continuing action or an action in progress, despite the fact that Michael Jackson was dead for nearly a decade and the women have left R. Kelly for years. You are leaving Neverland and you are surviving R. Kelly. In case you were tempted to watch these films with an objective eye and hope for a balanced documentary and reporting, don't even try. The films are telling you what do and what to think from the start, as a guru would enforce its mantra on you: remember, you are leaving Neverland and you are surviving R. Kelly.
And of course the dramatic music accompanying every unverified, one-sided and often questionable interviews16 are careful chosen to heightened the viewers emotions and disgust. There is nothing else to it. How such bias works have now been injected into broadcasting standards and commissioning process into worldwide culture has to be investigated in-depth.
For instance Andrea Lee, R. Kelly ex-wife who appears in the documentary Surviving R. Kelly omits to mentioned that she also sexually 'abuse' one of the alleged victim, Reshonda Lanfdair for decades. Reshonda testifies as Jane Doe at the New-York trial that she had a relationship with Kelly for 12 years, financially supported by him, living with him and his wife and having sex with Andrea Kelly and her husband. And Andrea Lee Kelly also appears on sex tapes and solicited sex with many of the other R. Kelly girlfriends. Yet Andrea Kelly has not been prosecuted.
A well presented and balanced documentary does not need to inject emotional music or inflate the testimonies to make it impactful. But of course if you wish to help your agenda you will do these things. Forget the truth, what counts is the victims truth, however unverified and non-factual it may be; it is to be pushed through the general public and worldwide audience's throat. And these documentary film makers will guide them; well, push those narratives by any means necessary. Remember, you are leaving Neverland and you are surviving R. Kelly.
Astonishingly a film that seeks to save black girls from exploitation with Surviving R. Kelly has made a bonus follow up DVD series, as you would for a commercial film set for profit. Shouldn't Gayle King call that gut churning? But as a broadcaster herself she has not and will not. Victimhood and exploitation is valid if it's done by TV networks and media to the detriment of truths. Because of course in the Oprah-zisation17 of our modern world, the truth doesn't exist or matter any more, it's one's own truth that matters. Donald Trump might call it fake news that would be considered dubious because it is Trump. But Oprah-Gayle and other new age gurus can say equally non-factual aberrations and the general public is just suppose to acquiesce to it. That is the staggering world we are in.
The film Surviving R. Kelly has been a box office hit and shockingly I read that the network has indeed threaded on social media and engineer a movement to ensure the success of the docu-series 'Bryant, Lifetime’s senior vice president of unscripted development and programming, previously told Variety that the network had been encouraging viewers to organize watch parties for the documentary through their social media networks and turn that momentum into a “movement. Lifetime has scheduled an encore marathon of the entire six-hour series.”18 Basically turning alleged abhorrent kidnapping and suffering of black women to entertainment and watch parties. For ratings.
Cancel Culture as prosecutor; judge and jury has achieved its desire effect with Michael Jackson and R. Kelly case because following the documentaries broadcast call for boycott, mute and cancellation of these artists was full on. The Prosecutor just had to pick up the pieces and make a case to a Jury that would have very likely heard or seen the content of these films. Hence R. Kelly has been sentenced to a 30 years in prison, the equivalent of a lifetime imprisonment.
D. The R. Kelly case: ' Erase your memories these black men were subhumans ' says Cancel Culture,
R. Kelly could have gentrify himself, instead he kept wearing cornrows and feature black women and people in his lyrical stories and writing about black experience like no other artists dared to.
As mentioned the following artists and personalities have been on the receiving end of Cancel Culture with or without due process. Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby and R. Kelly. All three are African-American prominent artists. The later artist case has been particularly of interests to me because of the parallel I see with Othello's theme and interpretations. Cancel Culture then seeks to implement its final aim which is to cancel individuals or effectively being removed from human consciousness. And that is where there has been counter culture to denounce this arbitrary process.
Both artists were initially removed from music platforms such as Spotify, where R. Kelly for instance had 5 millions monthly listeners, following the broadcasting of the documentaries. They were banned from TV and radios. But these movements did not last. The public and worldwide audience have continue to support and listen to R. Kelly and Michael Jackson music, even doubling their sales. Clearly these were failed Coup d' Etat in the eyes of the worldwide audience. But the damage to the reputation of these artists has a lasting impact and might remain in the eyes of history. Has the legacy of these men have been effectively erased , regardless of the outcomes of the legal process? Only time will tell.
What the Cancel Culture have sought to achieve with the Mute R. Kelly and Michael Jackson short lived momentum is to tell the public: erase your memories these black men were subhumans.
What are the facts in Kelly's case that has warranted such a life sentence? Well that is where the water gets murky because it is practically impossible to find facts about the case without bias reporting . Court documents are sealed or available only at the administrative court in Illinois. That is a bit of a commute from London to consult documents. Therefore facts in R. Kelly's case can only be found if you really search for it, and pay for it via the platform CourtListener19. Do the news outlets pay to accessed those transcripts or just rely on one another, thus releasing biased information? That is most extraordinary considering a man's future is a stake and he has been found not guilty on 7 counts. How can the public form an objective opinion in this manner?
So I sought to read the court documents and transcripts and requested them from various sources. I was able to read some of the testimonies and they present a different pictures of the event than what the media have relayed.
At the time of writing, Robert Sylvester Kelly known as R. Kelly has the following sentencing on his New-York federal trial: three counts of producing child pornography and three counts of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity. In all, Kelly faces a sentence of ten to 90 years in prison20. He has been acquitted on seven counts, including one count of child pornography, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, and two counts of enticing a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. The jury also acquitted two co-defendants, were former employees of Kelly’s21 : after a month-long trial, a jury found Defendant Kelly guilty as to Counts I, II, III, IX, X, XII of the indictment and not guilty as to Counts IV, V, VI, VII, VII, XI, and VIII of the indictment on September 14, 202222. '
On her filing of 28 October 2022 Jennifer Bonjean, Kelly's lawyer, requests an extending deadline in light of significant development ' Finally, and significantly, yesterday, the government produced a letter to counsel for Kelly related to Dr. Darrell Turner’s testimony at trial which requires additional research and may warrant an additional motion that was not previously contemplated.'23 He has been condemned to 30 years imprisonment the New-York Federal trial, which might very well be a life sentence and reference as such by Mr Kelly lawyers.
On a Kelly's impending State trial in Chicago, the Prosecutor Kim Foxx has until 14th December 2022 to inform the public if this trial will go ahead. According Jerhonda Pace, an alleged stalker, turn victim, who blew the whistle too early, these charges will be dismissed. For specialist lawyers it is the beginning of the collapse case against R. Kelly because once one case collapses it has a domino effect. Kelly's attorney pointed out in her appeal to the 30 years conviction that Kelly did not engage in pornography for commercial purposes and the self tape were not intended to cross state line and there were never a collective enterprise to organise paedophile activities.
Indeed all R. Kelly associates have been exonerated in the trial and even demanded the Prosecutor to refund they 850.000$ legal costs. So how can an Artist like R. Kelly be at the head of a paedophile ring but he is be the only person guilty?
Paedophile feast on children's body and are pure evil and will organise kidnapping and murder to carry on their evil activities. The notorious paedophile and serial killer Marc Dutroux24 killed and starved to death little girls. By all accounts from the alleged R. Kelly victims featured in the documentary or at Court, they had their mobile phones and could have left him at any time. They chose not to. The 17 years old who wilfully lied bout their age to approach him and clear his security guards age check. Parents of those minors will encourage them to lie about their age to access the singer. They also must be made accountable for their actions if the justice system is to send a man for 30 years in prison. By his own account, R. Kelly has been a less than perfect compagnion and boyfriend and never sought monogamy.
I remember Marc Dutroux case in Belgium specifically because I was a Bachelor at Law school at the Catholic University of Louvain at the time, and former Judge and President at the European Court of Human Rights, Françoise Tulkens25 was my teacher. As aspiring lawyers she reminded us that Dutroux was entitled to have a good lawyer to represent him, as a guarantee of our institutions and due process. And that is when I decided I did not want to be a lawyer because being rather good at penal law I would win my cases. To put R. Kelly and Michael Jackson for that matter, in the same categories as notorious paedophiles such as Marc Dutroux is simply abject and makes a mockery of justice systems all over the world who have a responsibility to track and apprehend criminal paedophiles.
R. Kelly has made a career of singing unassumingly about loving women's body, black women's body particularly, as well as their strength and resilience. His lyrics have been beyond explicit about it and have always depicted consensual relationship between adults and with women's body and full knowledge of their sexuality. He boast about what he wants these experienced women to do to him, and boast about his bedroom exploits from dusk to dawn. Not what paedophiles who disgustingly feasts on children's body aim for. Everyone would agree on that. Well, expect a majority of white people jury unfamiliar with R. Kelly, his music and stage gimmick that he developped early on in his career to keep his audience interested.
R. Kelly is appealing his judgement but despite this the media and reports have been beyond biased. Headlines already counting his career out and calling him a former singer. Often referencing him as the disgraced R'nB star, a paedophile, a predator, despite legal appeal pending.
The most interesting facts in the impending dismissal of R. Kelly Chicago trial, is how the USA government appears to have overpaid the services of a witness, which may amount to a form of bribery. To ensure the expert witness testifies against R. Kelly in a manner that is beneficial to the Prosecutor. Many witnesses who testify against R. Kelly have been offered immunity against past crimes if they testify against him. Such as Jane Doe#2 , Reshonda Landfair (Sparkle niece who refused to testify in 2008 trial and kept a 12 year sexual relationship with him), Louis a worker who set up a failed bribery scheme and has been caught and risk 15 years prison unless he testifies against R. Kelly.
The way in which the legal case against Kelly has been build up is disturbing. The charges should speak for themselves without the need to bribe witnesses, shouldn't it?
Mr Kelly's lawyer demands now a new trial or dropping the charges entirely. That would be extraordinary. But what of the reputation of a man who has been dubbed a monster, depicted as Lucifer and buried alive in the face of the world?
The height of bestiality: coprophagia and urophagia. The most appalling about R. Kelly's case is what is available first and for all to read, probably populated by this adversaries since it is on Wikipedia26, and this is a first come, first published platform. It states that Kelly demanded acts of coprophagia: consumption of faeces and urophagia: consumption of urine. The height of bestiality. And these are the main report Gayle King and broadcasters over the world choose to highlight on closing arguments at the New-York trial . Not mentioning that witness Jane Doe #5 decided to do these acts by her own initiative and Kelly told her he was not into these sort of things.
But bestiality had to be highlighted to sealed R. Kelly's case and to ensure R. Kelly's fate and public image was sealed and linked to the most depraved and bestial traits.
Halfway through the Wikipedia page your stomach does churn, you cannot continue reading and thinking you might remain sane. And if you were an fan or an admirer of Kelly, by the time you get half-way through, you would have destroyed all his CD's. But what it fails to mention is that the girl refer to as Jane Doe, was Reshonda Landfair, the niece of Kelly's protégé at the time, artist Stephanie Edwards aka 'Sparkle', who according g to her niece testimony, encouraged her to remain close to Kelly and refer to him as her Godfather.
On what planet does it makes senses for parents to seek spiritual guidance for their child with a proclaimed King of R'nB who's greatest hits include lyrics such as ' I don't see nothing wrong with a little bump and grind' and albums such as the Buffet and Black Panties, who never pretended to be asexual. And has even been vocal and proud of his love of black women, before they were considered worthy to be loved, represented and celebrated by mainstream media.
So Jane Doe remained in a romantic and sexual relationship with R. Kelly for over a decade after her first encounter, and until months before his arrest. Furthermore as Jane Doe, Sparkle niece testifies at the New-York trial she also had frequently shared sex with R. Kelly wife at the time Andrea Lee.
The same ex-wife who also appears in the propaganda documentary Surviving R. Kelly but omitted to mentioned that she also sexually 'abuse' that alleged victim. In the words of Kelly's lawyer: this is all unsavoury. Unsavoury, yes. But since when does unsavoury and promiscuity gets a man a life sentence? This is worthy of talk show Jerry Springer, but is it worth dehumanising an artist and inflict a life sentence to him? Again 'No one disputes that the tapes and interactions are unsavoury' but is worth dehumanizing a man because of unsavoury sexual practices?
CONCLUSION: Cancel Culture failed Coup d'Etat
Shakespeare's Othello last word could be summarized as this: whatever a black man achieves in his lifetime you can always revert him to his bestiality and destroy all his achievements, thus continually degrading and erasing a whole group. Or at least attempting to do so.
The ease with which worldwide culture has been required to cancel and mute R. Kelly and Michael Jackson , the most prominent black artists of our time is an analogy to what happened to Othello. Ultimately he can be reverted into the perception of his bestiality and that is why those Cancel Culture movement have been so easily successful initially because it is counting on the racist underlying current that black man are prone to bestiality therefore it is not outrageous for them to be cancel. Well it is beyond outrageous, it is in fact racist. Particularly as no other white artists work sas been erased from human memory as the Cancel Culture attempted for R. Kelly and Michael Jackson.
In the eyes of many Michael Jackson is a Paedophile, Cosby the Rapist and R. Kelly the Monster. All three have been labelled as such, despite convictions that have been overturned. In the dehumanisation and deletion process of Jackson, Cosby and Kelly's legacy there has not been anything equivalent with white directors Harvey Weinstein, Roman Polanski or Woody Allen also accused of rape and paedophilia.
There's never been a call to cancel, mute or destroy their work. Their films continue to be revered, respected and screened. They are still dubbed Polanski the great, Woody Allen the visionary, Weinstein the great producer. And Actress Dame Judy Dench to comment 'You cannot deny somebody a talent, you might as well never look at a Caravaggio painting or gone to see Noël Coward play'27 . Yet there has been called to removed these prominent African-American artists work.
Anyone can be cancelled depending on the tide, but if you are black man and artist; you are most likely to be cancelled out of human consciousness.
None of Harvey Weinstein films have been banned or boycotted28, None of Woody Allen's films have been banned or boycotted29. None of Roman Polanski's fims have been banned or boycotted30.
In facts the last two continue to work, produce, direct and win awards to this day. R. Kelly 30 years career includes 16 albums in any genre, hip-hop, soul, pop, R'n B31. Michael Jackson 45 years career include revolutionary and visionary music videos, songs and performances with multiple awards and accolades32.
Ultimately what is at stake is Black culture and its legacy. Black culture has influenced generations of people worldwide. To attempt to erase it so easily is to perpetuate post colonial racism.
As a reminder: Bill Cosby sexual assault convictions have been overturned by Pennsylvania highest Court33. Michael Jackson accusers have proven to have lied in the documentary alleging to having been abused in a railway station that was not even build at the time. And their renewed legal claims have been denied by the Courts34. R. Kelly court case in Chicago is about to be dismiss due to lack of due process.
But if you ask anyone over the world they will tell you that Cosby, Jackson and Kelly have been convicted and guilty despite the truth being otherwise. The creative legacy of these men have been effectively tampered with, attempted to be erased , regardless of the outcomes of the legal process.
As a reminder Carolyn Bryant, the white woman who falsely accused 14 year old black boy, Emmett Till of sexual harassment, which resulted to his lynching by her family, has been living happily ever after35. R. Kelly's sisters have also condemned the heavy sentencing as race related, because he is a black man36.
Cancel culture as prosecutor, judge and jury then seeks to implement its goal which results in being cancel or effectively removed from human consciousness. And that is where there has been counter culture to denounce this arbitrary process.
The official Mute R Kelly Facebook page has about 34.000 people37, whereas a Facebook page 'Celebrating R. Kelly' has about 354.000 supporters38. Clearly the Coup d'Etat has failed to cancel R. Kelly as many still listen and share his music daily. The Mute R Kelly campaign also pleads for people to purchase their official merchandise available on their website39 along with pictures of the less than 20 people attending their demonstrations. Clearly not the upraising created in the virtual world.
Both artists were initially removed from music platforms such as Spotify, following the broadcasting of the documentaries, they were banned from TV and radios. But these movements did not last. The public and worldwide audience have continue to support and listen to R. Kelly and Michael Jackson music, even taking their scales to new heights. R.Kelly music has increased by over five hundred percent40.
Clearly these were failed coup d'Etat in the eyes of the worldwide audience. But the damage to the reputation of these artists has a lasting impact and might remain, in the eyes of history. Has the legacy of these men have been effectively erased, regardless of the outcomes of the legal process? Only time will tell. But as of today a leaked R. Kelly Album named 'I Admit' contained 13 songs has gone straight to number one despite R. Kelly being in prison41. Black Culture fights back.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff-vs ROBERT SYLVESTER KELLY, also known ) As “R.Kelly,” DERREL MCDAVID, and ) MILTON BROWN, also known as “June ) Brown”, Defendants. No. 19 CR 567; Hon. Harry D. Leinenweber ) MOTION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME TO FILE POST TRIAL MOTIONS, Case: 1:19-cr-00567 Document #: 346 Filed: 10/28/22 Page 1 of 3 PageID #:2693 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION
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