R Kelly, R&B singer accused of sex trafficking, releases new album from prison

Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly has hit the headlines for releasing a new album from inside the prison he is currently being held at for federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges, as per multiple news reports.

The R&B singer, who is serving a 30-year prison sentence, has titled his new album I Admit It.

R. Kelly shares the credits of the 13-track album with D.Johnson as producer while Kelly remains the main writer of all the songs from the album.

The singer has included songs like I Got It and Good Old Days, while in the last three tracks of the album R.Kelly reportedly confesses to getting involved with fans and cheating on his partner but seemingly protesting against the long list of sex crimes he has been convicted of.

“They’re brainwashed, really? Kidnapped, really? Can’t eat, really? Real talk, that s— sound silly,” says kelly in one of the songs, most likely referring to testimony that he was allegedly running a sex cult.

Kelly initially posted a version of the three final songs from the album tracks on Soundcloud back in 2018. I Admit It also was made available to stream on Apple Music and Spotify but were quickly pulled down by both the streaming platforms on Friday.

R.Kelly’s latest album is being distributed by Ingrooves, which is an extension of Virgin Music Group: a part of the music giant, Universal Music Group. However, I Admit It has given credit to Legacy Recordings which is the back-catalog imprint of Sony Music, according to LA Times.

For the unversed, Sony Music dropped R. Kelly from their list of talents way back in 2019 after the release of the documentary series Surviving R. Kelly.

In a statement, Sony Music said that I Admit It was done without authorization and did not have a formal release. Even R. Kelly’s lawyer told Variety that the singer isn’t responsible for the album, and he is “having intellectual property stolen from him.”

R. Kelly was a huge name in the pop and R&B scenes in the 1990s and early to mid 2000s, and has smashers such as I Believe I Can Fly and Ignition (Remix). It as been reported by the international media that the singer’s career has always been mired with controversies pertaining to allegations of sexual assault and abuse of minors. Hwoever, R. Kelly was slammed with federal charges and the subsequent convictions in June. His last single that was released officially was in september of 2021, titled No Problems.

R. Kelly is scheduled to face an additional sentencing on an Illinois child pornography conviction in February of 2023.