‘Surviving R. Kelly’ leads to spike in sales

“Surviving R. Kelly,” Lifetime’s damning documentary on the R&B star, appears to have reignited interest in R. Kelly’s music even as many fans and celebrities condemn the artist and call to #MuteRKelly on social media. According to numbers released Thursday by Nielsen, album sales, song sales and audio and video streams for the artist all have spiked since the Jan. 3 première of the three-night, six-hour docuseries that delved into claims that R. Kelly has operated a “sex cult” and that he has physically and sexually abused scores of women. Meanwhile, R. Kelly’s estranged daughter is speaking out. Joann Kelly, who goes by the stage name Buku Abi, addressed the growing controversy on her Instagram story Thursday, “I just want you all to understand that devastated is an understatement,” Kelly, 20, wrote. “I pray for all the families & women who have been affected by my father’s actions. Trust, I am deeply affected by all of this. However, it had been very difficult to process it all. Let alone gather all the right words to express everything I feel.”