Skrillex is the latest musician to weigh in on the R. Kelly saga, explaining that renowned rapper Jay-Z should stand by his collaborations with the controversial artist.
Over the last few weeks, the #MuteRKelly movement has been gaining considerable momentum. Following the release of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary, a number of artists have gone on record to say they regret working with him, including Chance The Rapper, who says their 2015 collaboration was “a mistake”.
In fact, while many people are distancing themselves from the rapper, the authorities are moving in, looking quite closely at the numerous allegations of sexual abuse made against R. Kelly.
While Sony recently dropped R. Kelly from their label, the artist’s lawyer has hit back at the large number of allegations that have been made.
“All these women are lying,” attorney Steve Greenberg told Dateline, continuing to defend his client’s innocence.
“The record companies are abandoning him,” Greenberg continued. “Other artists are all of a sudden acting like they’re shocked by these rumours that are floating around. He’s having a very difficult time. But he is strong, he’s tough.”
“He wants to put out his music and continue performing for people. And I expect that’s what he’ll be able to do.”
Check out a news report on the R. Kelly controversy:
In light of all the artists and record companies distancing themselves from R. Kelly, some artists have begun to remove their previous collaborations from streaming services.
While Lady Gaga recently took down her 2013 track ‘Do What You Want’, other artists such as Céline Dion, Ciara, and the Pussycat Dolls have all done the same, leaving many to wonder who’s next.
However, one artist who hasn’t addressed their previous work with R. Kelly is Jay-Z, who released two albums – 2002’s The Best of Both Worlds and 2004’s Unfinished Business – with the controversial artist.
Speaking to TMZ recently (via Complex), EDM icon Skrillex weighed in on the situation, noting that while he lost interest in R. Kelly years ago, he thinks that Jay-Z’s recordings should remain, explaining they’re “part of history”.
“You know, I don’t think he needs to do so,” Skrillex began. “It’s hard. It’s like, look: There’s a word. It’s called ‘occhiolism.’ It’s the awareness of the smallness of your own perspective.”
“If Jay-Z wants to keep his music because it’s music he made a long time ago, it’s part of the archives, it’s part of history. That doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. That doesn’t mean he supports bad people.”
Check out Skrillex’s interview with TMZ:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBimZUc8TPc
“If someone doesn’t want to listen to his music, thats fine too; everyone has their own thing,” Skrillex continued. “Some people are more tolerant of stuff that upset us. We have history books, we have a lot of bad stories in history. We can’t go too far and…cover our eyes from everything in the world.”
“I think everyone in their own sort of private world should make their own choices, but I support that,” he concluded, referencing Sony’s decision to drop R. Kelly.
While Jay-Z is yet to comment in regards to his previous collaborations with the controversial artist, it’s looking like it won’t be too long before he follows in the footsteps of other artists.
Check out Lady Gaga’s ‘Do What You Want (feat. Christina Aguilera)’:
