New R. Kelly Music Reportedly on Hold at RCA
Written by SOURCE on January 14, 2019
In light of Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly docuseries and the subsequent protests and repercussions, Kelly’s label RCA has reportedly put his music on hold for the time being. Sources close to RCA Records and Sony tell TMZ the company’s refusing to put any money behind new music for Kelly. The disgraced singer is particularly frustrated about this because he’s still obligated to produce two more albums under his current contract.
According to sources familiar with Kelly’s contract, RCA doesn’t want to invest funds in him or release anything new until the litany of disturbing allegations have been investigated. RCA and Sony have yet to comment on Kelly’s reported abuse directly, although they’ve received a ton of criticism for keeping him signed. Just recently, an activist group commissioned a plane to fly a protest message over Sony Music headquarters in Culver City, California.
Since R. Kelly’s contract won’t be completed until he finishes two more albums, RCA and Sony will find themselves the targets of a lawsuit if they cut their deal short. Unless there’s a clause that allows them to drop him under certain circumstances, they could very well be stuck together for the foreseeable future. However, since Kelly’s reportedly unhappy with how they’re refusing to work with him currently, he may already be looking for a way out of his contract.
Meanwhile, TMZ also reports that another former collaborator of Kelly’s has followed in Lady Gaga’s footsteps. Céline Dion worked with Kelly on the 1998 No. 1 single “I’m Your Angel,” but now she is reportedly in the process of pulling the song from streaming services. The track originally appeared on her album These Are Special Times.
Lifetime’s Surviving R. Kelly series has reignited the conversation regarding decades of accusations against the Chicago singer, documenting his abusive behavior throughout the years with candid interviews with some of his former collaborators and friends. It’s unclear what step RCA and Sony will take from here, if any. Amid all this controversy, though, RCA inked a new contract with Chris Brown.
