Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
R Kelly was considered one of the most influential names in music. However, things started going downhill for him when several women accused him of rape and sexual assault. Reports indicate that Kelly had oral sex and intercourse with three of his victims, who were all too young to consent legally. Moreover, authorities charged him with several offenses, such as sexual abuse and more.
Meanwhile, in 2019, the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested Kelly on federal sex charges. After years of allegations, the court finally found the singer guilty of several sex-related crimes and sent him to prison.
The 54-year-old musician is now a convicted sex offender and serving his sentence at FCI Butner Medium I in North Carolina. His scheduled release date is December 21, 2045. Even though several media outlets have covered R Kelly’s case in detail, several documentaries reveal unheard information about his heinous crimes. Here are some documentaries viewers can watch to learn more about the musician and his crimes.
Surviving R Kelly
In January 2019, Lifetime released the first season of Surviving R Kelly, which explored the sexual abuse allegations against the musician. Apart from that, the documentary explained how the rapper exhibited controlling behavior towards certain women. Some noted that he didn’t let them go to the bathroom and had to get permission to use it. Moreover, one woman revealed that Kelly had sex with an underage girl multiple times.
The series featured firsthand accounts from survivors and provided an emotional narrative that resonated with viewers. Additionally, it played a significant role in holding R Kelly accountable for his crimes. On the other hand, the documentary prompted record labels and other collaborators to cut ties with him. The project went on to garner universal acclaim and spawned two more seasons. It also won the Peabody Award in the Documentary category.
Surviving R Kelly is available to stream on Lifetime.
R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes
Released in 2018, BBC’s Sex, Girls, and Videotapes was one of the first documentaries focused on R Kelly’s crimes. The documentary featured the reporter Ben Zand and his pursuit to know the truth about crimes committed by the rapper. In the documentary, Zand talks to several people who have personal or professional ties with R Kelly. The title also saw Kelly’s ex-girlfriend, Kitti Jones, explaining how the singer sexually abused her. She said, “I would go without eating for a couple of days as punishment.” Moreover, she revealed that if she disobeyed his orders, Kelly would beat her.
One of the most striking aspects of the documentary was how it featured testimonies from people who didn’t come out in public previously. It also gave viewers a chance to understand how R Kelly managed to evade authorities even after decades of sex-related allegations.
R Kelly: Sex, Girls, & Videotapes is available for streaming on BBC Three.
R Kelly: The Sex Scandal Continues
R Kelly: The Sex Scandal Continues is a follow-up to the BBC’s 2018 documentary R Kelly: Sex, Girls, and Videotapes. In this documentary, Ben Zand flew to the USA and talked to the families of Kelly’s victims. It even featured an interview with a woman who revealed that the rapper infected her with a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Furthermore, the reporter spent 24 hours with a family attempting to reconnect with their daughter.
The documentary forces viewers to think about what R Kelly did to those girls and how his actions ruined families. Although R Kelly received punishment for his crimes, survivors continue to be vocal about his predatory behavior.
