NEW YORK – Earlier this week, disgraced rapper R. Kelly has requested the court assist him with providing court transcripts at no cost, in addition to providing him with new clothes because he has gained weight in prison.

Kelly, 54, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is a three-time Grammy winner, who has sold over 75 million records globally, making him one of the most commercially successful R&B musicians ever, with his top-charting hit “I Believe I Can Fly” serving as an industry favorite, most notably with Michael Jordan’s “Space Jam.”

Over the years, the disgraced rapper has faced considerable amounts of scrutiny and legal trouble, most recently with allegations of sex trafficking and racketeering, according to Insider. Since former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was taken down, many other industry leading figures have come under scrutiny, finally being held accountable for their poor conduct and behavior.

The rapper appeared in court on Tuesday for his pre-trial conference, responding to allegations of running a criminal enterprise in which young women were kidnapped for sex trafficking.

Kelly’s lawyer has specifically asked the court to provide the court transcripts for jury selection, free of charge, so his client can adequately prepare for the upcoming trial.

The question here, however, that the court must address, arguably, for the first time, revolves around a defendant’s right to have access to court materials which are necessary to prepare a defense, in the event they are not in a financial position to obtain such documents.

New York State charges $25 for court transcript filings, according to United Process.

During the pre-trial conference, Kelly admitted to having “sexual contact” With Aaliyah when she was 15 years old, before walking those assertions back, according to The Daily Mail.

Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash back in 2001 at the age of 22, was introduced to Kelly by her uncle Barry Hankerson – a record producer and manager who represented him. This week, news broke that Aaliyah’s entire music collection would finally be made available via Spotify, according to AaliyahIsComing.com, a website set up by her old label Blackground.

The next day, Spotify confirmed via Twitter that Aaliyah’s post-Kelly music would be coming to its platform.

Kelly and Aaliyah had a quiet friendship and were married in secret in 1994 when he was 27 and she was still underage.

‘Are they not going to dispute that at the time Jane Doe 1 was 13 to 15 years old?’, Federal prosecutor Elizabeth Geddes asked.

‘We do dispute. We’re not prepared to concede that right now,’ Farinella said.

At his peak, Kelly’s net worth was once upwards of $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He recently admitted that he is now in over $2 million of debt. In a letter to Judge Ann Donnelly, Scholar wrote:

‘As the defense set forth during the conference, Mr. Kelly is financially unable to obtain the transcripts and the transcripts are necessary for his defense.”

Donnelly denied their request for new clothing measurements. 

‘We need measurements for appropriate attire for his trial,’ his lawyer told the judge. 

‘We’re trying to get his measurements. How can we take his size?’

Kelly was moved from Chicago Metropolitan Correctional Center to a Brooklyn detention center in late June. Prosecutors filed a motion around the same time the singer was moved claiming he also sexually abused a boy he met at a McDonald’s and bribed officials involved in the case.  

Opening statements for Kelly’s federal trial are set for August 18, which address charges of racketeering, sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery, and forced labor spanning from 1994 to 2018.