In the wake of “Surviving R. Kelly’ and the injection of social media pressures, more artists are coming under attack from keyboard clicking followers about their past or current actions.
On Monday, a user shared an old photo of John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen posing with Harvey Weinstein and asked why Legend was happy to denounce R. Kelly but didn’t do the same to the disgraced producer, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women.
Legend, who is the most high-profile star to appear in the Lifetime docuseries ‘Surviving R. Kelly,’ quickly detailed his stance to the watching eyes.
“I took a photo with and worked with Harvey on several occasions before his abuse was known to me and the rest of the world,” John replied on Twitter. “Since his being exposed, his company and career have rightfully been destroyed and he’s been indicted. Sounds like something that should happen to R Kelly… If y’all wanna cape (show support) for R and discount all these women’s stories, just say it. Don’t bring up some old pics of me and somebody else.”
No, that’s what we call a professional clap-back!
Another artist who came under attack via social media is B2K group member and solo artist Omarion. The R&B veteran shared that he would retire the B2K songs created by R. Kelly after their upcoming 2019 The Millennium Tour comes to an end. These songs include hits like “Bump Bump Bump,” “What a Girl Wants,” and “Girlfriend.”
In a series of posts, Omarion admitted he has not seen the headline-grabbing series but has been disturbed by the allegations, and insisted Kelly must be “held accountable” and “get professional help” for his reported actions.
“While I know our fans would be greatly disappointed if we didn’t perform those songs on #TheMillennoumTour (sic), after the tour I am retiring those songs from my set list,” Omarion wrote. “I too am raising a future queen…” he adds about his two-year-old daughter A’mei.
However, Omarion’s decision to wait until after the B2K reunion tour to drop the tracks from his repertoire has drawn heavy criticism on social media, with many followers accusing him of cashing in on the songs before taking a stand.
“Unbelievable so you gone profit off the mans (sic) work what type of stance is that?” one fan wrote, while another added, “‘But first I’m gonna get this bag (money)’ is basically what he’s saying.”
Are these fans reaching or are they in the right?
Yes, their opinions are righteous, but in the case of B2K, their biggest hits were penned by Kelly. Performing these songs wouldn’t be in support of R. Kelly but would be in support of B2K. These members didn’t commit any crimes or abuses, so why should their means of living suffer? R. Kelly and possibly the folks in his camp are the only people that should be accountable for his transgressions.
The John Legend attack was just silly. Taking a picture doesn’t mean you support someone’s behavior. I think many of us need to look in the mirror before we start throwing stones or better yet, clicking keys.
Founder and Creator of Singersroom.com and IncredibleWork.com. Follow me on Instagram at @gary.gentles.
