surviving r. kelly

After Scathing Documentary, R. Kelly Is Back on the Charts

R. Kelly. Photo: SCOTT LEGATO/Getty Images

Apparently there are some ghouls out there who saw Surviving R. Kelly and thought to themselves “Hmm … ‘Ignition’ is still catchy.’ ” R. Kelly may have been dropped by Sony, but he’s charting better than he has in years. “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition” have reentered the Billboard R&B Digital Song Sales chart: “Ignition” at No. 12 and “Fly” at No. 19. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Ignition” also has 3.1 million U.S. streams since the documentary premiered. There is no demographic information about who actually streamed this song after decades of abuse claims, but I recently saw a man put “I Believe I Can Fly” on a jukebox then make up lyrics about child molestation. He yelled them very loudly, then took multiple tequila shots. It was 1 p.m. The man’s new lyrics didn’t even rhyme. So probably 3.1 million versions of that guy.

After Scathing Documentary, R. Kelly Is Back on the Charts