Ne-Yo Still Listens To R. Kelly After Posting ‘#MuteRKelly’ In 2019

R. Kelly has fought for his release from prison for many years. He received his sentence late last month: 30 years in jail for racketeering and sex trafficking. Ne-Yo who has always been against him has shared that he listens to R. Kelly’s music.

Ne-Yo shared a photo with the hashtag “#MuteRKelly,” which was widely used at the time to tell people to stop listening to the singer’s song back when things started to get heated up for R. Kelly in 2019. Ne-Yo was insistent that R. Kelly should be held accountable for his crimes.

Ne-Yo posted, “There is NO excuse. Music is important. It really is. But it’s not more important than protecting our children, protecting our little girls. PERIOD. #IHaveADaughter #TF!?? #MUTERKELLY.”

However, Ne-Yo discussed the sentence handed down to R. Kelly in an interview with Independent. “I expected something in the realm of that… I pray this gives everybody who feels they were victimized by him a little bit of closure on whatever pain he caused,” he stated.

“I have always been a person that can separate the artist from the art,” Ne-Yo continued, “I don’t give a damn about your personal life, I don’t give a damn about what you’ve done wrong, or what you’ve done right.”

He remembered instances when somebody near to him would disparage Kelly’s songs. “I’ve been in parties where someone will turn on an R Kelly record, and people will be like ‘Boo!’ That’s bullsh*t because you know good and well that before this happened, you’d be rocking out to this song, just like everybody else,” he further revealed in his interview.

Ne-Yo said that he occasionally listens to the musician who is currently behind bars and that, despite what he has done, he is still one of history’s best songwriters.

In other news, Kelly has been returned to the federal jail in downtown Chicago ahead of his trial. Jury selection for his federal trial in Chicago is set to begin on Aug 15. Stay tuned to Thirsty for more updates!

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