Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault, and rape. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

The R. Kelly scandal has continued, with the hip-hop artist’s former lawyer claiming that one of the rapper’s famous tracks was written about underage girls.

Recently, it was revealed that R. Kelly had been formally charged with ten counts of criminal sex abuse by a grand jury in Chicago. This announcement came just days after it had been revealed that a grand jury had convened to view what was claimed to be newly-surfaced evidence against the rapper.

The charges relate to Kelly’s sexual interactions with victims aged between 13 and 16, with the first records of his alleged abuse commencing in 1996. Each charge carries a sentence of three to seven years in prison, meaning Kelly could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted.

While Kelly subsequently pleaded not guilty and was released on bail, he recently returned to jail, being arrested over failing to pay $161k in child support, though he was again freed after an anonymous benefactor paid the full amount owing.

Now, a former lawyer for the artist has claimed that one of the rapper’s tracks was in fact written about underage girls.

As The Chicago Sun Times reports, Ed Genson was one of the lawyers who defended R. Kelly at his 2008 trial of child pornography, for which he was ultimately acquitted.

Now, Genson has come forward to set the record straight in regards to his opinion of R. Kelly’s guilt.

“I’ve been a lawyer 54 years,” Genson explained. “Ninety-nine percent criminal cases. I’ve represented entertainers, represented people connected to organized crime, represented professional criminals. I’ve represented guilty people, I represent innocent people.”

“When I represented Kelly in Florida, they set the bond at a $1 million. We paid the bondsman $100,000. He was out on bond on the Florida case for three days and they made $100,000. Because he had to fly back to Chicago because they were going to arrest him here.”

“He was guilty as hell!” Genson alleged. “I don’t think he’s done anything inappropriate for years. I’ll tell you a secret: I had him go to a doctor to get shots, libido-killing shots. That’s why he didn’t get arrested for anything else.”

However, Ed Genson also claimed that he got R. Kelly to change the words to his track ‘Ignition’ (not the chart topping ‘Ignition (Remix)‘, but rather the original version) due to lyrics which could be considered rather questionable in the eyes of a judge.

For reference, here’s the original version of R. Kelly’s ‘Ignition’:

YouTube VideoPlay

“I was riding in the car, listening to a song and said, ‘Are you crazy? This is all I need’,” Genson claimed. “He re-wrote it.”

“It’s a song related to a guy driving around in a car with his girlfriend. It was originally a high school instructor in a class teaching people how to drive a car. I changed the words.”

Ed Genson’s comments come just days after R. Kelly publicly addressed all the allegations against him, speaking to Gayle King of CBS This Morning for an interview which has seen been viewed by fans and critics of the artist the world over.

“Stop it,” Kelly pleaded during the interview. “You all quit playing! Quit playing! I didn’t do this stuff! This is not me! I’m fighting for my fucking life!”

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine