‘I Admit’ reveals R. Kelly’s image is hurting
NEW YORK — Although Oronike Odeleye is the co-founder of the #MuteRKelly campaign, she is still excited about the embattled R&B superstar’s new song, “I Admit.”
Not because she is blasting it on her stereo — but because the release of the track confirms that the social media campaign she launched is working, and putting a dent in the entertainer’s career.
On Monday, R. Kelly posted the 19-minute track “I Admit” to Soundcloud, singing about his battles and troubles, from allegations he has sexually abused women to his illiteracy to being sexually assaulted himself as a child.
While painting himself as a tragic figure wrongfully targeted, he also sings about loving “older and young ladies” and says his alleged victims were willing participants.
Odeleye says to her, “I Admit” is not a true song: “We’re calling it a 19-minute sex trafficking anthem.”
“It’s really more of the same victim blaming. It’s more of the same denying. It’s more of the same, ‘It’s not my fault. It’s not my fault. It’s everybody’s fault,’” she said in an interview with The Associated Press. “While he’s saying, ‘I admit it’ — he’s actually not admitting anything.”
Odeleye, an arts administrator in Atlanta, and Kenyette Barnes, a social activist, launched #MuteRKelly last year as a financial boycott against the 51-year-old Grammywinning performer, who is one of the record industry’s best-selling artists of all-time, though his hit-making prowess has waned in recent years. He’s written all of his own music — from inspirational songs such as “I Believe I Can Fly” to raunchy titles such as “Feelin’ on Yo Booty” to feel-good anthems such as “Step in the Name of Love.” He also penned songs for Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Celine Dion and many more.
R. Kelly, who was once acquitted of child pornography charges, appeared unbothered when articles claiming he abused young women resurfaced over the last few years. His social media was filled with inspirational, humorous and musical posts, and he dismissed what he called his haters.
But when Spotify announced it would remove his music from its promoted playlists in May due to the company’s new hateful conduct policy, the singer’s management decried the move, saying R. Kelly “is innocent of the false and hurtful accusations in the ongoing smear campaign against him, waged by enemies seeking a payoff.”
The release of “I Admit” makes Odeleye feel like they’d had a strong impact at hurting the singer’s bottom line; R. Kelly acknowledges as much in his songs, saying he only tours to pay his rent, is broke and doesn’t even own the publishing on his own songs.
“It shows that what we’re doing is working. He had to very directly address the fact that we’re being successful in getting his concerts cancelled. … We’ve been successful in getting the ticket sales dwindling. We’ve been successful in getting promoters to stay away from him,” Odeleye said.
“I Admit” was not released by the singer’s label but put up on SoundCloud, where it’s garnered more than 300,000 listens (the top track on the service has more than two million listens). It brought out of mix of emotions from people, from eye rolls to tears.