Over his career, R. Kelly has had sexual misconduct accusations aimed his way, as well as a 2008 case regarding child pornography (the video showed Kelly having sex with a 14 year old girl). Pictured below is R. Kelly during the court case. In 1994, the singer married a 15 year old girl, and the marriage was annulled. Now, reports claim that R. Kelly holds at least three young women hostage in an abusive cult. The parents of these women claim their daughters were introduced to Kelly as a way to further their music careers, but have now fallen under his control via cult brainwashing.

Kelly’s influence over them is hyper strict

The women are supposedly not allowed to contact their families, and are only allowed cell phones provided by Kelly in order to contact him. They are also required to call him “daddy” and must ask permission to leave the premise or studio. There is also a claim that Kelly films his sexual encounters with the women and abuses them physically and verbally. The women are located in his homes in Chicago and Atlanta.

Why haven’t the police stopped R. Kelly’s actions?

The parents of the young women are issuing the reports. When the women themselves are contacted, they insist that they are not being held against their will. One reportedly said she was “fine and did not want to be bothered.” Considering a former associate of the singer described him as a “master of mind control,” this is a sticky situation. Three former associates of Kelly–Cheryl Mack, Kitti Jones, and Asante McGee–support the claims of the parents. They said “six women live in properties rented by Kelly in Chicago and the Atlanta suburbs, and he controls every aspect of their lives: dictating what they eat, how they dress, when they bathe, when they sleep, and how they engage in sexual encounters that he records.”

The parents of one young women managed to make contact. The mother reported that her daughter “looked like a prisoner–it was horrible!” As the mother hugged her daughter, the women reportedly said that Kelly loves and takes care of her.  

R. Kelly’s lawyer, Linda Mensch, released a statement to Buzzfeed regarding the reports.

“We can only wonder why folks would persist in defaming a great artist who loves his fans, works 24/7, and takes care of all of the people in his life,” Mensch said. “He works hard to become the best person and artist he can be. It is interesting that stories and tales debunked many years ago turn up when his goal is to stop the violence; put down the guns; and embrace peace and love. I suppose that is the price of fame. Like all of us, Mr. Kelly deserves a personal life. Please respect that.”