R.Kelly Ex-Tour Manager Testifies Against Him Regarding Aaliyah

[RAMROD 109,910]

A former tour manager for R. Kelly reluctantly testified Friday that he paid a $500 bribe to a government worker to get the singer Aaliyah a fake identification card so Kelly could secretly marry her when she was 15 years old.

Demetrius Smith told a jury at Kelly’s sex-trafficking trial that after he went into a Chicago-area welfare office in 1994, he brazenly approached an employee who was taking ID photos.

“Hey, want to make some money?” he said he asked the employee before handing over the cash. He was confident the bribe would work because “everybody needs some money,” he added.

The welfare card was one of two fake IDs used to clear the way for the R&B legend to marry Aaliyah after he began a sexual relationship with her and believed she had become pregnant. A marriage license that was put into evidence falsely listed her age as 18; Kelly was 27 at the time.

Prosecutors say Kelly wanted to use the marriage, which was later annulled, to shield himself from criminal charges related to having sex with a minor and to prevent her from testifying against him.
 

source:

https://apnews.com/article/r-kelly-updates-day-3-0f6804c07dde6a8e318cc4179a55a3fc

 

Everyone involved need to be arrested.  This ex-manager, that corrupt officer, and if course R.Kelly    

[hELXIG 43,229]

So his antics have been going on since at least 1994

It's sickening to think of how many other people could have been affected too, who will never be heard or come forward, over the following 26 years

[TimisaMonster 31,073]

And as recent as this year there's still allegations coming out against him and his involvement with young boys too...he is a WHOLE pdf and people STILL support him...

It amazes me how people still support Nicki, Chris Brown, DaBaby, etc and look the other way whenever antics hit the headlines...

[monketsharona 83,806]

The fact all of his criminal behaviors were well known in the music industry but people kept on working with him from the 90s to 2010s. Totally insane...

[InstantDejavu 571]

1 hour ago, monketsharona said:

The fact all of his criminal behaviors were well known in the music industry but people kept on working with him from the 90s to 2010s. Totally insane...

That also includes Gaga tho...

[GucciGa 3,729]

1 hour ago, monketsharona said:

The fact all of his criminal behaviors were well known in the music industry but people kept on working with him from the 90s to 2010s. Totally insane...

How do you know they were well known? 

[Dante 878]

1 hour ago, GucciGa said:

How do you know they were well known? 

It's been widely known about R Kelly forever. Just nothing seemed to get done about it. 

[SharkmanthaC 114,697]

I agree that everyone in involved should be held accountable. How in the world do you do these things and think it’s okay? People do a lot of stupid things when money is involved. As for R Kelly I hope they lock him away for the rest of his life. 

[hELXIG 43,229]

1 hour ago, InstantDejavu said:

That also includes Gaga tho...

To this day I still don't know wtf was going through her head. Was she blinded by her admiration for him? Did she think she had found comradery in him, and that the media had wrongly villainised him to make headlines (yet another talented person destroyed by the media)? Did she let Tara convince her it was a good idea? Was she somehow unaware of the allegations in 2013? Did she think having him on DWUW would make it a more credible R&B song (a new musical territory she was self conscious of stepping into)? Did she, in her stoned-brain, think that she was making some artistic statement by using an abuser for clout, therefore using the user? Did he manipulate her in person into believing he was a victim and played on her kind, empathetic spirit the first time they met in the recording studio? Did other higher ups in the industry, whom she trusted at the time, lie to her point-blank and convince her that he was innocent?

Whatever it was, I think she has learned her lesson since then about believing people's stories, although it's probably one of the many things that's added to her trust issues. And also, the DWUW music video not being released was the best thing that happened to her and her career. We couldn't see this at the time, but in hindsight thank god.

[Gaijin 444]

15 minutes ago, Helxig said:

To this day I still don't know wtf was going through her head. Was she blinded by her admiration for him? Did she think she had found comradery in him, and that the media had wrongly villainised him to make headlines (yet another talented person destroyed by the media)? Did she let Tara convince her it was a good idea? Was she somehow unaware of the allegations in 2013? Did she think having him on DWUW would make it a more credible R&B song (a new musical territory she was self conscious of stepping into)? Did she, in her stoned-brain, think that she was making some artistic statement by using an abuser for clout, therefore using the user? Did he manipulate her in person into believing he was a victim and played on her kind, empathetic spirit the first time they met in the recording studio? Did other higher ups in the industry, whom she trusted at the time, lie to her point-blank and convince her that he was innocent?

Whatever it was, I think she has learned her lesson since then about believing people's stories, although it's probably one of the many things that's added to her trust issues. And also, the DWUW music video not being released was the best thing that happened to her and her career. We couldn't see this at the time, but in hindsight thank god.

Right!? This! In so many ways, this!

Imagine that she dropped everyone’s problematic fave Azealia Banks, but not this piece of trash. I mean, Azealia’s got a motormouth and talks **** but she’s never done **** like R.Kelly. Would’ve settled for her over him honestly…

Maybe that’s why she so readily reissued ARTPOP without the song on it..

[Teletubby 150,700]

3 hours ago, monketsharona said:

The fact all of his criminal behaviors were well known in the music industry but people kept on working with him from the 90s to 2010s. Totally insane...

they just didin't care about it 

When in 2008 Pussycat Dolls (more precisely only Nicole Scherzinger) worked with him just after he was acquitted of child ******** due to lack of evidence, she said:

[Defmix100 6,412]

2 hours ago, GucciGa said:

How do you know they were well known? 

because it was publicised and even joked about in pop culture years ago. Apparently his abuse video was even bootlegged and sold on street corners in America

[GucciGa 3,729]

53 minutes ago, Helxig said:

To this day I still don't know wtf was going through her head. Was she blinded by her admiration for him? Did she think she had found comradery in him, and that the media had wrongly villainised him to make headlines (yet another talented person destroyed by the media)? Did she let Tara convince her it was a good idea? Was she somehow unaware of the allegations in 2013? Did she think having him on DWUW would make it a more credible R&B song (a new musical territory she was self conscious of stepping into)? Did she, in her stoned-brain, think that she was making some artistic statement by using an abuser for clout, therefore using the user? Did he manipulate her in person into believing he was a victim and played on her kind, empathetic spirit the first time they met in the recording studio? Did other higher ups in the industry, whom she trusted at the time, lie to her point-blank and convince her that he was innocent?

Whatever it was, I think she has learned her lesson since then about believing people's stories, although it's probably one of the many things that's added to her trust issues. And also, the DWUW music video not being released was the best thing that happened to her and her career. We couldn't see this at the time, but in hindsight thank god.

Y'all love to judge her but how many of you were ripping your hair out and unstanning her for working with him at that time? If it was so widely known about then why are you all still here? If you really think Gaga knew he was raping underage girls and basically imprisoning them in his house and you still stan her then maybe you're all not so pristine yourselves. 

Just sayin 

[hELXIG 43,229]

9 minutes ago, GucciGa said:

Y'all love to judge her but how many of you were ripping your hair out and unstanning her for working with him at that time? If it was so widely known about then why are you all still here? If you really think Gaga knew he was raping underage girls and basically imprisoning them in his house and you still stan her then maybe you're all not so pristine yourselves. 

Just sayin 

I've tried twice already to respond to this but I just don't even know what to say. I had no idea about the allegations back in 2013 because I didn't follow celebrity news/gossip, but Gaga being in the industry obviously would have heard the rumours. And I wasn't judging her, I was wondering how she came to the conclusion that working with someone who has these allegations against him was a good idea. Not that she knew everything about what he was doing and kept it a secret!

I said in my post that maybe she thought it wasn't true and that he manipulated her, or that other people convinced her it wasn't true etc. Also when I did find out and things started to get more fishy I wasn't able to listen to the song anymore, but I didn't pull out my hair and unstan her because that would be ridiculous! I don't partake in this pathetic 'cancel culture'. I understand that she herself is a flawed person who tries her absolute best, and has proven herself to be an amazingly kind soul who has dedicated her life to helping others, but she can still make mistakes. And she's even rectified the mistake since by pulling the song once the allegations were proven true.

I'm still trying to find out what was your point? You thought I was attacking Gaga, so you attacked me for... not unstanning her? I never said Gaga knew all his disgusting secrets and kept supporting him regardless! It was only a couple allegations at the time, nothing was proven for years and years later.

I'm just talking in f.ucking circles now because idk how to even explain myself

[GucciGa 3,729]

3 minutes ago, Helxig said:

I've tried twice already to respond to this but I just don't even know what to say. I had no idea about the allegations back in 2013 because I didn't follow celebrity news/gossip, but Gaga being in the industry obviously would have heard the rumours. And I wasn't judging her, I was wondering how she came to the conclusion that working with someone who has these allegations against him was a good idea. Not that she knew everything about what he was doing and kept it a secret!

I said in my post that maybe she thought it wasn't true and that he manipulated her, or that other people convinced her it wasn't true etc. Also when I did find out and things started to get more fishy I wasn't able to listen to the song anymore, but I didn't pull out my hair and unstan her because that would be ridiculous! I don't partake in this pathetic 'cancel culture'. I understand that she herself is a flawed person who tries her absolute best, and has proven herself to be an amazingly kind soul who has dedicated her life to helping others, but she can still make mistakes. And she's even rectified the mistake since by pulling the song once the allegations were proven true.

I'm still trying to find out what was your point? You thought I was attacking Gaga, so you attacked me for... not unstanning her? I never said Gaga knew all his disgusting secrets and kept supporting him regardless! It was only a couple allegations at the time, nothing was proven for years and years later.

I'm just talking in f.ucking circles now because idk how to even explain myself

I'm not attacking you. I'm just a bit mystified at how strongly some of you feel about Gaga working with R Kelly. It seems to grow every year as does the myth that everyone knew just what a monster he was. And it's really not fair. Gaga works in an industry filled with horrible people. All of our favs have worked with these people. So are they all blamed for it like Gaga is? I don't think so. What about the people still working with Chris Brown now? R Kelly was controversial because of his relationship with Aaliyah, I give you that. But we are looking at it through a 2021 lens. People would riot if that happened now (at least I hope they would...) but back then there was no social media. People didn't really know what to do with it.

A lot of  Me Too was bc of the whisper network. Women started to talk and slowly get brave enough to speak out. And that's what happened with R Kelly's victims too but it took a long time to happen. His case is just in court in 2021 so that tells you something. Rumours and gossip and whispers about sex videos.. It's just that. Talk. The music industry is a toxic place. There needs to be more than just gossip to bring down these powerful men. Especially pre Me Too. 

It just pisses me of that of all the people R Kelly worked with over the years, some much more closely than Gaga and for much longer projects than the literal hours she spent near him, it she who is held up as the poster child of supporting and condoning rapists. It's bullsh*t. 

And so you've admitted that you didn't know about R Kelly back then. I'm not surprised. I'd love to see old GGD posts from that period to see how many of the people who insist that *everybody knew* were calling her out back then. Is it possible to even look that up? Because I'm calling their bluff. I can't stand hypocrites, especially with serious matters like this. It's easy to paint yourself as pristine while judging others trying to operate in a toxic industry.