R. Kelly's former lawyer isn't biting his tongue.
More than a decade after he helped Kelly beat child pornography charges, veteran attorney Ed Genson told the Chicago Sun Times that the singer was guilty, actually guilty of those crimes—"guilty as hell" to be more precise. The 77-year-old spoke candidly about his ex-client's behavior, but said he doesn't believe Kelly hasn't "done anything inappropriate for years." Why is he so sure? Because he convinced Kelly to take medication to suppress his sexual urges.
"I can say whatever I want, but we've got to do it fast. It would be nice to get it down so somebody knows besides me," Genson told the outlet. "I'll tell you a secret: I had him go to a doctor to get shots, libido-killing shots. That's why he didn’t get arrested for anything else."
Despite his assertion that Kelly was guilty, Genson said he wasn't conflicted about keeping this disgraced singer out of prison.
"I didn’t facilitate him. He had already done what he'd done," explained Genson, who is battling terminal bile duct cancer. "I did facilitate him in the sense I kept him out of trouble for 10 years. I was vetting his records. I listened to them, which ones would make a judge mad."
Genson pointed to Kelly's 2003 song "Ignition" as one of the most problematic works. He said that the original version hinted at Kelly's attraction to underage girls: "It was originally [about] a high school instructor in a class teaching people how to drive a car. I changed the words," he said.
Though Genson said Kelly was good at churning out hit songs, he said the singer is not "a very bright person." Genson also theorized that Kelly became overly confident and negligent after winning his 2008 child pornography case.
"What he doesn't understand is this: If you win a case with somebody, they think they're bulletproof," Genson said. "You're almost better off, sort of, losing. He thinks he can do whatever the hell he wants. He has done everything he can to hurt himself."
You can read Genson's full interview here.
Kelly is now facing 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four women; three of whom were underage at the time of the alleged incidents. The 52-year-old artist denied the abuse allegations during a recent televised interview with CBS' Gayle King.
"I didn't do this stuff! This is not me! I'm fighting for my fucking life! Y'all killing me with this shit," he shouted during the tense sit-down. "I gave y'all 30 years of my career! Thirty years of my career and y'all trying to kill me? You're killing me, man. This is not about music. I'm trying to have a relationship with my kids and I can't do it! Y'all just don't wanna believe the truth. You don't wanna believe it."
Shortly after the interview aired, Kelly found himself back behind bars for failure to pay over $161,000 in child support. He also is reportedly under investigation for alleged sexual assault on a 13-year-old in 2001.
