Rapper French Montana had social media hot and put his career on the line after making comments that seemingly showed support for disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly.
TMZ cameras caught the “No Stylist” hitmaker Saturday night leaving the L.A. Coliseum after the Rams vs. Cowboys playoff game and asked him to comment on Kelly amid his sex abuse scandal.
He responded by quoting lyrics from Kelly’s 1994 hit “Bump n’ Grind,” insisting, “My mind’s tellin’ me no, but my body, my body’s tellin’ me yes… He warned us.”
Montana’s remarks were accepted as favoring R. Kelly as he hints that people should accept him for who he is.
He went on to share his support for Kelly, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by numerous women over two decades. “They don’t let nobody have their legendary moments,” he said while comparing Kelly to Michael Jackson.
“They did Michael Jackson like that. They did R. Kelly like that. All the greats went down like that,” he added. “Let somebody enjoy their legacy, man. Whatever happened, happened, man. He fought in a court of law and won.”
Montana’s remarks went viral with a storm of people slamming him for his insensitive comments, which made him change his tune.
He tweeted Sunday, “Let me be clear. My heart is with the victims. I never thought the people I looked up to as a kid, who sang and danced and gave me hope to become a superstar would become drug addicts, child molesters and rapists. I am hoping we as a culture create better leaders. We need them.”
R. Kelly, who was acquitted in 2008 on multiple counts of child pornography charges, has denied all accusations. “Someone with an agenda has done a hit piece,” his attorney, Steve Greenberg, told CNN of Lifetime’s “Surviving R. Kelly” docuseries. “[Kelly’s] out in public. He’s not hiding. There’s no secret compound with sex slaves.”
In the wake of “Surviving R. Kelly,” many artists have spoken out against Kelly including John Legend, Ne-Yo, Chance the Rapper, Meek Mill, Future, and Lady Gaga, who collaborated with Kelly on 2013’s “Do What U Want (With My Body).”