Latest news with #InmateTea
Express Tribune
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
R Kelly birthday serenade video from prison sparks disbelief and debate on social media
A viral video has stirred a wave of online reactions after reportedly showing R&B artist R. Kelly singing 'Happy Birthday' to a woman over the phone from prison. Shared on April 25 via X (formerly Twitter), the clip features the woman on speakerphone, seemingly serenaded by Kelly's voice, sparking disbelief and mixed emotions from viewers. Currently serving a 30-year sentence for sex trafficking and racketeering, the 58-year-old singer has remained musically active during his incarceration at FCI Butner Medium I in North Carolina. In January, Kelly appeared on the Inmate Tea with A&P podcast, where he claimed to have written 25 new albums in prison and sang parts of his older hits. Despite his legal status, the video reignited interest in Kelly's talent, with some users expressing astonishment and nostalgia, while others criticized the attention he continues to receive. 'Y'all got to be kidding me,' one X user exclaimed in disbelief. Others questioned how Kelly still has the platform to connect with fans, even jokingly asking how much it would cost for a prison performance. The renewed attention has also revived previous misinformation. A viral hoax in early April 2025 claimed he had been pardoned by former President Trump. The claim was swiftly debunked by a White House spokesperson and confirmed false by Check Your Fact. In 2024, Kelly contributed vocals to Chris Brown's track 'Residuals,' which was verified as genuine and not AI-generated. His longtime collaborator Rodney East confirmed the remix's authenticity via Instagram. Kelly's appeal for early release was denied last month, per Reuters, and he remains committed to creating music while serving concurrent 30- and 20-year sentences. Despite speculation and occasional misinformation, there is no indication of an early release.
Express Tribune
09-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
R. Kelly claims he wrote 25 albums while serving 30-year prison sentence for sex trafficking and racketeering
R&B singer R. Kelly, currently serving a 30-year sentence for sex trafficking and racketeering, claims to have written 25 albums since his incarceration. The 58-year-old artist made the revelation during a phone call to the Inmate Tea With A&P podcast, as reported by Billboard on March 7, 2025. Speaking through a monitored prison line, Kelly said he was asked to sing 'Happy Birthday' to someone on the show. The hosts, who referred to him as the 'King of R&B' and his former title, 'the Pied Piper of R&B,' reacted enthusiastically as he performed a snippet of his 1998 song When a Woman's Fed Up. When asked about his creative output in prison, Kelly described his musical talent as a 'beautiful disease that's uncurable.' He stated that despite his circumstances, he continues to write music and has completed approximately 25 albums. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was sentenced in 2021 after being convicted on federal charges in New York, including racketeering and sex trafficking. In 2022, he received additional convictions in Chicago related to child exploitation and coercion of minors. His convictions followed decades of allegations, including an illegal marriage to 15-year-old Aaliyah in 1994 and accusations of holding women in a 'cult-like' environment. Kelly remains hopeful for an early release, saying he wishes to resume his music career. However, last month, the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals rejected his appeal of his New York conviction, meaning he could remain behind bars into his 80s if he serves his full sentence. Before his conviction, Kelly was known for his prolific career, releasing 18 studio albums and creating the Trapped in the Closet series. His legal team has denied the allegations made against him.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
R Kelly reveals he's written 25 new albums in jail
R Kelly has revealed he's written 25 albums and has continued singing and making music while in prison. The singer recently appeared on an episode of the Inmate Tea with A&P podcast, where he was asked if he'd continued his music practice while incarcerated. "Well, singing is a beautiful disease that's incurable," Kelly answered. "That's not gonna happen, stopping singing. I don't care where I'm at. I'm always singing, I'm always writing. I've written, like, 25 albums since I been in here, and right now I'm just working on getting out. I'm using patience as a tactic right now." During the episode, he sang his tracks When a Woman's Fed Up and Step in the Name of Love. Kelly is serving 31 years in prison. The disgraced singer was found guilty of six of 13 counts of owning and producing child pornography and enticing a minor back in September 2022. He was also found guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking in 2021. In October 2024, his daughter Buku Abi came forward about the alleged sexual abuse she suffered during her childhood. "I didn't know that even if he was a bad person, that he would do something to me. I was too scared to tell anybody," she shared. "I was too scared to tell my mom." In a statement to People, Kelly's attorney reported that Kelly "vehemently denies" the allegations.
