Slowly but surely, R. Kelly is being erased from the internet. Following decisions from Lady Gaga and Céline Dion to remove their Kelly collaborations from streaming amid the fallout from renewed interest in his alleged sexual abuse, other artists are scrubbing him from their digital discographies, too. TMZ reports that Chance the Rapper, Ciara, and the Pussycat Dolls are all in the process of getting rid of their Kelly collaborations. After being quoted in Surviving R. Kelly, Chance released a statement saying it was a “mistake” to work with Kelly on 2015’s “Somewhere in Paradise.” “[T]he truth is any of us who ever ignored the R. Kelly stories, or ever believed he was being setup/attacked by the system (as black men often are) were doing so at the detriment of black women and girls,” he said. That track has now reportedly been disabled on Spotify.
According to TMZ, Ciara has also requested that Sony take her and Kelly’s 2006 collab “Promise (Go and Get Your Tickets Mix)” off streaming and iTunes. Interestingly, Kelly’s parent label Sony has remained mum on all matters R. Kelly, though it’s said to be stonewalling his attempts to release new music on RCA. TMZ also claims that the Pussycat Dolls have asked Interscope to yank 2008’s “Out of This Club” from all streaming. Meanwhile, the video for Dion’s duet with Kelly, “I’m Your Angel,” has disappeared from YouTube, though the song still remains on streaming for the time being. Neither Dion, Ciara, nor the Pussycat Dolls have commented on Kelly or the status of their respective collabs. Kelly is currently under investigation in two states, with New York potentially joining next.
