.
[Edited 11/14/06 1:31am]

I got that new issue of Vibe in the mail yesterday.It's an interesting article,but R.Kelly doesn't speak to the magazine at all.His lawyer is continuing his absurd claim that "the video is a fake".Yeah,right...lol...

.
[Edited 11/14/06 1:31am]

.....and I really enjoy the RKelly and Jay-Z The Best Of Both Worlds.....great CD to work out to, but everything posted here has put a bad taste in my mouth. hehehehehehehhahahhahahahahahahahah
MS

Here is the latest development from mtv.com

R. Kelly Settles Civil Suit, Defends Himself On Radio
04.05.2002 6:03 PM EST


R. Kelly
Photo: Jive


Though charges have yet to be filed, R. Kelly continues to defend himself against allegations that he taped himself having sex with underage girls. On Thursday, Kelly proclaimed his innocence again, even as he settled a lawsuit with a woman who accused him of seducing her when she was 17.

After protesters shattered R. Kelly CDs at the offices of WGCI-FM in Chicago, urging the station to stop playing his music, Kelly phoned the station to ask his fans to stand by him. The leader of the protest, the Rev. Bamani Obadele, asked Kelly to explain why there was a tape circulating that purports to show him having sex with a minor, and Kelly said he could offer no explanation.

"When you're famous, they expect you to work miracles, and I'm not God," the singer said in one of his few public comments on the issue.

When the story first broke about the tape in February, Kelly told Chicago TV station WMAQ it was a fake (see "R. Kelly Proclaims Innocence In Teen Sex Scandal"). "It's very difficult for me, but you know, I'm innocent," Kelly said at the time. "So it's not that difficult. It's crap, and that's how we're going to treat it."

That same week, however, Kelly settled another civil suit accusing him of having sex with an underage girl, just as more women prepared to file similar cases.

Last week Kelly settled with former Epic Records intern Tracy Sampson for an undisclosed sum, according to attorney Susan E. Loggans. In a $50,000 civil suit filed in August, Sampson claimed Kelly induced her into a sexual relationship when she was 17.

"Kelly took advantage of his occupational status, position of authority and Tracy Sampson's trust and confidence in him to cause her to develop a dependent relationship in him," the suit said.

Sampson's case is not the first such civil suit Kelly has faced, nor does it look to be the last. In 1998 he settled with Tiffany Hawkins for a reported $250,000. Hawkins claimed the singer had sex with her and induced her to have group sex with other teenage girls when she was 15. Additionally, two women represented by Loggans plan to file similar allegations shortly, the attorney said.

Chicago police continue to investigate Kelly and are still trying to authenticate the 27-minute tape they received nearly two months ago, officer Pat Camden said.

I found this article at launch.com. It looks like things are gonna get worse for R-Kelly...but after I read this article....it most be tough on that girl as well...cause alot of ppl have seen the tape and she is being exploited....what do you guys think?

(4/5/02, 5 p.m. ET) -- Former R. Kelly protege Sparkle maintains that her niece is the young girl exploited in the alleged R. Kelly sex tape.

The popular singer, who released the Number One R. Kelly-produced song "Be Careful" in 1998, discussed the ordeal Wednesday (April 3) on KKBT (The Beat) Los Angeles.

Sparkle, who is the aunt who turned over the sex tapes to authorities in Chicago, said that the public has placed more attention on the multiplatinum, Grammy Award-winning singer than on her niece, who was 14 years old at the time.

"People want to say, 'That's not R. Kelly,' but what about my niece?" Sparkle told Adimu, the radio station's afternoon on-air personality.

When Adimu asked Sparkle how her niece was doing, she paused for a long moment before answering. "To me, that's the important thing," Sparkle said. "My niece, she's exposed. It's like, Robert is going to be OK. He's got the money, the fame--you know, everybody don't want to see a black man being brought down. But what about the children? What about our kids?"

The traumatic experience has caused a division in Sparkle's family, since some relatives did not want the case to go public. Sparkle believes some cases may be settled out of court. "There has been a couple [cases] that have come to light so that they would not go to criminal court," she said. "But there are others that haven't been spoken of that have possibly been paid off."

Still, she feels that the authorities have substantial evidence against R. Kelly. "I believe that they have a lot that they are actually going to bring to light," she said. "But as of right now, it's still being investigated, and until the powers that be come say, 'Yo, indict him for whatever whatever,' it's still just an investigation."

Sparkle discredits Kelly's legal counsel as without compassion for young African-American children. "I don't believe that they give even two hoots about our black children," she said.

But Sparkle said she won't allow Kelly's defense stop her from speaking out, even though her reputation is on the line. "Reputation is just what people think of you," she said. "But my character, at the end of the day, is what I do. And at the end of the day, I've done right by going in and saying, 'Yeah, that is her, and why is this happening.'"

Sparkle introduced her niece to Kelly, in hopes of helping the then 12-year-old female rapper land a break in the music business. The child's father, Sparkle's brother-in-law, eventually played guitar for Kelly, Sparkle said.

The relationship between her niece and Kelly turned into molestation after Sparkle and Kelly severed their ties, added Sparkle. Her 1998 debut was released on R. Kelly's Interscope imprint, though her 2000 follow-up was released on Motown.

Sparkle feels remorse for introducing Kelly to her niece. "Although I'm not responsible for his act, I feel responsible for even taking her there," she said.

When asked for her reaction to the alleged R. Kelly sex tape, which is being played on the Internet and sold on street corners, Sparkle said that it was not appropriate to say on air the words she really wanted to express. "It's messed up," she said. "I mean, she's just being exposed to the world. It's sickening. And definitely hurtful for kids period, around this country. I mean, we are adults, and we're supposed to look out for our children. I can't even express it, dude. I swear to God. It's just massive."

Spokespersons for R. Kelly did not respond to LAUNCH by press time.
[This message was edited Sat Apr 6 1:40:33 PST 2002 by fonkywonder]

What I don't understand is,WHY is R.Kelly allowed to break these laws and just "pay" these girls off? I'm 33,if I was to have sex with a 14-year old girl,my ass would be in the slammer...lol...so,why are the rules different just because R.Kelly is rich and famous? Even though there are tapes that clearly show a crime being committed,I seriously doubt that he will serve one day in jail.He'll just hire some high-priced attorneys,poke holes in every accussation being made,and he'll be acquiitted.

Another question....why the hell would you TAPE yourself doing something illegal? It's bad enough that you're some sick puppy who is doing this crime,but why make a video of it? That's like a bankrobber having his friend video him as he robs a bank.How stupid is that??

R.Kelly is one dumb brotha.

What disturbs me a little about some of the responses on this thread is that people keep saying "she doesn't look 14"! How she looks is beside the point. We all know that women develop earlier than men do, and can look much older than they are. But the mind, the maturity, the emotional stability of a 14 yr. old girl is what is problematic about a grown man having sex with her. And then there's the celebrity aspect of who RKelly is--how many 14 yr olds do you know who could resist trying to please their "idol", no matter what they asked of her? She can't be expected at that age to be able to take responsibility for something like that. I don't have a problem with 15, 16, 17, even 18 yr. old men being with a 14 yr.old woman. But when it gets any older than that, you've got to question what is it about these men that makes them want to have sex with children--why don't they want to be with women closer to their own age?

It makes u wonder what went on with Aailyah (RIP) when her parents found out they had the marriage annulled. As horrible as this sounds I glad that she ain't around to deal with this scandal....cause u know the press would be hounding her.

.
[Edited 11/14/06 1:30am]

Well, I think a lot of celebrities do these things, but wasn't the controversy that he was having sex with a young girl? I thought that was what you were referring to. And, I didn't see the tape, but many people have access to it, and they said that it is so sad because the sexual acts were just so degrading and exploitive.

DavidEye said:

I agree with you too in some ways.
[This message was edited Sun Apr 7 8:45:20 PDT 2002 by purpleleaf7]

Former R. Kelly Protege Says Singer Molested Her Niece

Former R. Kelly protegee Sparkle maintains that her niece is the young girl exploited in the alleged R. Kelly sex tape.

The popular singer, who released the Number One R. Kelly-produced song "Be Careful" in 1998, discussed the ordeal Wednesday (April 3) on KKBT (The Beat) Los Angeles.

Sparkle, who is the aunt who turned over the sex tapes to authorities in Chicago, said that the public has placed more attention on the multiplatinum, Grammy Award-winning Kelly than on her niece, who was 14 years old at the time the tape was made.

"People want to say, 'That's not R. Kelly,' but what about my niece?" Sparkle told Adimu, the radio station's afternoon on-air personality.

When Adimu asked Sparkle how her niece was doing, she paused for a long moment before answering. "To me, that's the important thing," Sparkle said. "My niece, she's exposed. It's like, Robert is going to be okay. He's got the money, the fame--you know, everybody don't want to see a
black man being brought down. But what about the children? What about our kids?"

The traumatic experience has caused a division in Sparkle's family, since some family members did not want the case to go public. Sparkle believes some cases may be settled out of court. "There has been a couple [cases] that have come to light so that they would not go to criminal court," she
said. "But there are others that haven't been spoken of that have possibly been paid off."

Still, she feels that the authorities have substantial evidence against R. Kelly. "I believe that they have a lot that they are actually going to bring to light," she said. "But as of right now, it's still being investigated, and until the powers that be come say, 'Yo, indict him for
whatever whatever,' it's still just an investigation."

Sparkle discredits Kelly's legal counsel as without compassion for young African-American children. "I don't believe that they give even two hoots about our black children," she said.

But Sparkle said she won't allow Kelly's defense stop her from speaking out, even though her reputation is on the line. "Reputation is just what people think of you," she said. "But my character, at the end of the day, is what I do. And at the end of the day, I've done right by going in and saying, 'Yeah, that is her, and why is this happening.'"

Sparkle introduced her niece to Kelly, in hopes of helping the then 12-year-old female rapper land a break in the music business. The child's father, Sparkle's brother-in-law, eventually played guitar for Kelly, Sparkle said.

Sparkle's 1998 debut was released on R. Kelly's Interscope imprint, but she left his label and her 2000 follow-up was released on Motown. She says that after she and Kelly severed their ties, Kelly's relationship with her niece turned into molestation

Sparkle feels remorse for introducing Kelly to her niece. "Although I'm not responsible for his act, I feel responsible for even taking her there," she said.

When asked for her reaction to the alleged R. Kelly sex tape, which is being played on the Internet and sold on street corners, Sparkle said that it was not appropriate to say on air the words she really wanted to express. "It's messed up," she said. "I mean, she's just being exposed to
the world. It's sickening. And definitely hurtful for kids period, around this country. I mean, we are adults, and we're supposed to look out for our children. I can't even express it, dude. I swear to God. It's just massive."

purpleleaf7 said:

Oh,there is NO doubt anymore.That IS R.Kelly in those videotapes!

AnotherLoverHoleinYoHead said:

There are several videotapes and reportedly only ONE of them features a 14-year old girl.The other videos feature young ladies who are at least 18.I think that's where the confusion comes in,and why people keep saying "She doesn't look 14!".They're probably seeing the other videos.

I got this article from www.eurweb.com


It looks like R-Kelly's pals are starting to desert him and I guess R-Kelly won't be releasing Loveland (or as I call it Perveville) in September if he ends up like Rob Lowe on some sex with minors charge.


MAYBE IT'S NOT THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Def Jam seems to be cutting its losses with R. Kelly And Jay-Z Collabo

(Apr. 9, 2002) Sheeesh, we bet R. Kelly didn't have this in his mental map of 2002. Def Jam has canceled all touring, promotion and videos for Jay-Z and R. Kelly's, "Best of Both Worlds" CD. The action comes on the heels of accusations of R. Kelly having sex with minors and the resultant slow sales of the album.
The CD hit stores March 19 and sold under 230,000 in the first week. Not bad for Joe Blow, but not great for Jay-Z and R. Kelly. Jive, Kelly's label is blaming the low sales on CD bootlegging and an industrywide depression. On the other hand, Jay-Z's label, Def Jam knows what time it really is.

Time.com reports that Jay-Z, through an intermediary, thanked the editor of Vibe magazine for removing him from current cover with Kelly.

"We don't want any negative associations that might come with a video, any accusations or anything," Def Jam president Kevin Lyles told Time.

Just curious...have any other celebrities got in trouble for having sex with a minor? The Vibe article mentions other stars that were in similiar scandals (Rob Lowe,one of the Rolling Stones,etc),but did any of these guys actually serve jail time?

Here's my thing(no pun intended), we don't know the true ages of these girls, to me, they don't look all that young, but I guess I'm not a trained eye. But if it were all true, why has he not been charged? Convicted? He roams free because it's bullshit. Def Jam jumped the gun a bit early. So it's their lost. Thats just my 2 cents


ô¿ô

billysparxxx said:

In the Vibe article,the Chicago Police say that they're still investigating and that their investigation should be completed before summer.If R.Kelly is gonna get charged,it will happen in the next few months.

I don't know about the others....Elvis married his 'girl' Priscilla who he was having sex with when she was 14!Rob Lowe was charged with having sex with 2 girls under 16 and basically copped a fine and some community work....he cut a deal where he didn't have to serve any jail time. So basically he got away from it but his acting career suffered with the excpetion of Wayne World and Austin Powers in the late 80s and 90s he became a b-grade actor. U see for years he craved to be taken seriously like his friends Tom Cruise and Sean Penn and when he got a best supporting actor nominiation for Square Dance in 88, it looked like he was gonna get his wish....but that all changed when that tape was released (he was very lukcy that the internet wasn't around back then...cause alot more ppl would be able to see that video (and the one where he has a threesome with a girl and some guy LOL) its not as nasty as the R-Kelly one....but its so funny to see how smug Rob was posing for the camera etc.IMO R-Kelly is gonna get a similar deal like Rob but this time the backlash is gonna be greater because alot of ppl have seen the tape.
[This message was edited Tue Apr 9 23:36:27 PDT 2002 by fonkywonder]

Davideye says:
If the girl on the tape is different from the girl in those photos,it's obvious that the tape is a fake.The girl in the photos does NOT look like a 14-year old,to me.



lol....that should be R. Kelly's defense. " But your honor she didn't look 14 just check out her body." There are some 14 and 15 year old girls built like grown women, doesn't make it right.

DavidEye said:

Please, celebs do it all the time. We just never hear about it because media heads pick and choose who they want to make and break, you follow me?

DavidEye said:

Yeah, that's what the hype is about.
[This message was edited Wed Apr 10 19:19:12 PDT 2002 by purpleleaf7]

And as punishment his head has become permamently lodged in some poor girls' ass.

Punishment?

Hmmm . . .

Is it not funny or ironic that people are alway's calling Prince wierd, he is strange, he is this he is that..... But
you never hear about Prince getting busted for drugs!!! you never hear about Prince kidnapping and tying a woman like Rick James, you never hear about Prince being accused of child molestation like MJ or R. Kelly or beating his women. He just go about his business running Paisley Park and creating new music and start a new way on how music is distributed and released.

Although Prince like young women but at least he waits til they come of age... Hell I am 35yrs. old and most of the women I date is in the mid 20's...