Chance the Rapper apologised for working with R. Kelly in a documentary detailing sexual abuse allegations against the singer.
An interview clip of Chance, real name Chancelor Jonathan Bennett, saying it was a “mistake” to work with the Kelly was played in Saturday’s final episode of U.S. network Lifetime’s three-part Surviving R. Kelly programme.
Following its broadcast, the rapper took to Twitter to claim the quote was taken out of context, but he regrets making the 2015 track Somewhere In Paradise with the 51-year-old R&B star and wanted to apologise to survivors for ignoring past accusations.
“(T)he 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,” he wrote. “I apologize to all of his survivors for working with him and for taking this long to speak out.”
Kelly, who was acquitted on child pornography charges in 2008, has been accused of engaging in sexually and emotionally abusive relationships with young women, some of whom were allegedly underage. The new documentary features interviews with former girlfriends, associates, and his ex-wife Andrea Kelly, as well as John Legend and singer Stephanie ‘Sparkle’ Edwards.
The clip of Chance, 25, was cut from a filmed interview with journalist Jamilah Lemieux – the full version of which has been obtained by Rolling Stone magazine.
“We’re programmed to really be hypersensitive to black male oppression,” he told Lemieux. “But black women are exponentially (a) higher oppressed and violated group of people 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.”
Chance the Rapper went on to admit he’d “made a mistake” and that he was happy people were now listening to black women making allegations of abuse.
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