R. KELLY DENIES HAVING
SEX WITH A MINOR
At least that’s what people who’ve seen it tell us.
"I've done a lot of wrong things in my life, but I'm not a criminal, I'm not a monster," the 33-year-old said during a taped interview on BET Tonight with Ed Gordon.
The Grammy-winning singer is known for inspirational hits such as "I Believe I Can Fly," but also fairly explicit ones like "Feelin' On Yo Booty."
Videotapes supposedly showing Kelly having sex with the girl, along with other women, have been sold on city streets across the nation, as well as the Internet. The person on the tapes is said to resemble the singer.
Police in Kelly’s hometown of Chicago said they are investigating the allegations.
Kelly recently settled two lawsuits brought by women who accused him of having sex with them when they were minors. Documents have also shown that Kelly was married to the late singer Aaliyah, his former protege, when she was just 15. The marriage was later annulled.
A third lawsuit was filed recently by a Chicago woman who accused Kelly of impregnating her when she was a teen-ager, forcing her to have an abortion.
The married father of two young children told Gordon he settled the first two lawsuits when his lawyers told him it wasn't worth his time to fight them. While he acknowledges knowing the two women, he said he had no personal or professional relationships with them.
He said the allegations in the third lawsuit were false because he was not the person featured on the videotapes.
While he had not seen the tapes, he said, "I can say it in all confidence that it's not me because I didn't do it. I want America to know that you can't believe everything you hear, and nowadays, you can't believe everything you see."
However, the singer did say he is working with a pastor to help make himself a better person.
"I've done a lot of things in my life right now that I'm trying to get help for," Kelly said.
Observers have blamed the allegations for the disappointing commercial performance of his recent collaboration with Jay-Z, The Best of Both Worlds, which came out after the scandal broke.
Kelly said he was speaking out now because the accusations have become so prevalent. He asked fans to have faith in him and "focus on his music."
"I'm very concerned about my career, but most of all I'm concerned about my life," he explained.
