As he faces mounting accusations of physical violence and sexual coercion, R. Kelly has found himself in, perhaps, one of the lowest points of his career. The “Mute R. Kelly” campaign has called for a boycott of the singer’s music; Spotify has removed his material from its editorial content and promoted playlists; and many are urging RCA to drop the controversial artist from the label. But despite all the controversy, Kelly has retained the support of many fans and friends. One such supporter is famed hit-maker Zaytoven.
During his appearance on Open Late With Peter Rosenberg, Zay was asked to share his thoughts on Kelly’s sexual abuse scandal. The Atlanta-based producer said he believed it was a good thing Kelly has refused to go away, while also admitting to ignoring the reports of abuse allegations against the artist.
“I’m a real fan of R. Kelly. And, by the way, I go play basketball with him from time to time. I definitely gotta roll with R. Kelly,” Zay said at the 8:30 mark above. “I haven’t really paid the stories that much attention. And it could be due to the fact that I think he’s so great of a musician that I don’t even care about, or want to hear [about] the stories.”
Rosenberg then informed Zay about some of the claims Kelly is facing, such as reports of the singer's so-called “sex cult” in which he allegedly kidnapped and brainwashed young girls. Zay told Rosenberg he doesn't buy the allegations, and is convinced that the alleged victims are with Kelly by choice. “I think any woman that's going with R. Kelly, or whatever, that's the choice that they chose to do,” Zay said. “He not putting a gun to they head and saying, ‘You gotta come with me down to this basement, I'm finna lock you up.’ They wanna go.”
