ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Chance the Rapper apologized for working with R. Kelly 'and for taking this long to speak out'

chance the rapper
  • Chance the Rapper apologized Saturday evening for previously collaborating and performing with the R&B singer R. Kelly.
  • "I apologize to all of his survivors for working with him and for taking this long to speak out," he said in a statement posted on Twitter.
  • His comments come on the heels of the Lifetime documentary series "Surviving R. Kelly," which features interviews with women who allege Kelly preyed upon them when they were underage and abused them.
  • Kelly has denied all allegations against him.

Chance the Rapper apologized Saturday evening for working with the R&B singer R. Kelly, the subject of the six-part Lifetime documentary series "Surviving R. Kelly," which details numerous allegations that Kelly preyed upon underage girls and abused them.

Chance, whose real name is Chancelor Bennett, has faced criticism for collaborating with Kelly on the 2015 song "Somewhere in Paradise" and performing with him at the Lollapalooza festival in 2014.

The final episode of "Surviving R. Kelly" aired Saturday evening and featured a previously unreleased interview with Chance, in which he told the columnist Jamilah Lemieux that making a song with Kelly was "a mistake."

He also reflected on why he felt comfortable working with Kelly at the time, despite knowing of the allegations against him.

ADVERTISEMENT

"We're programmed to really be hypersensitive to black male oppression. It's just prevalent in all media," he said. "But black women are, you know, exponentially a higher oppressed and violated group of people, like just in comparison to the whole world. Maybe I didn't care because I didn't value the accusers' stories, because they were black women."

Some critics seized on Chance's remarks about black women, which were partially quoted by Rolling Stone earlier on Saturday, before the news outlet updated the piece to include his full quotes.

Chance tweeted an explanation on Saturday evening:

"The quote was taken out of context, but the 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. I apologize to all of his survivors for working with him and for taking this long to speak out."

ADVERTISEMENT

Lemieux also weighed in on Chance's comments, tweeting that "he spoke clearly and unequivocally in support of BW and the victims."

Here's a clip of his remarks:

"Surviving R. Kelly" features interviews with multiple women who allege that Kelly had sex with them when they were underage, physically and emotionally abused them, and sought to control women by regulating when they ate, used the restroom, and contacted their families.

Kelly has continued to deny all allegations against him, and he is not currently charged with any crimes. His lawyer has threatened to sue Lifetime over the series, TMZ reported .

ADVERTISEMENT

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Here are common things people rarely dream about

Here are common things people rarely dream about

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT