R. Kelly Addresses Cult and Abuse Rumors in 19-Minute Long Track

In a newly released 19-minute long song titled “I Admit,” controversial rsinger R. Kelly addresses a number of his “sins,” including allegations of abuse and a sex cult.

On Monday, R. Kelly released his previously teased new song “I Admit” on Instagram TV, the R&B singer addressing a number of rumors and allegations as well as admitting that “I done made some mistakes.” While the first several verses are tame and address his struggle with dyslexia, the song quickly ventures into more controversial territory that has threatened to end his career.

In one verse, Kelly addresses allegations from the parents of Joycelyn Savage, who claimed that the singer forced her to cut off all communication with them after she began dating him in 2016 and proceeded to brainwash, groom, and imprison her.

“Said I’m abusing these women, what the f– that’s some absurd sh–/ They’re brainwashed, really?/ Kidnapped, really?/ Can’t eat, really?/ Real talk, that s– sound silly,” he sings. “And if you really, really wanna know/ Her father dropped her off at my show/ And told this boy to put her on stage.”

He goes on to directly address accusations that he formed a sex cult.

“What’s the definition of a cult?/ What’s the definition of a sex slave?/ Go to the dictionary, look it up/ Let me know I’ll be here waiting,” Kelly sings in the sixth verse, going on to call out Jim Derogatis, the journalist who has reported on Kelly’s alleged misconduct over the past two decades, signing, “To Jim DeRogatis, whatever your name is/ You been tryna destroy me for 25 whole years/ Writin’ the same stories over and over against/ Off my name, you done went and made yourself a career.”

Allegations against Kelly first arose in 2017 after family members of several different women told police that the R&B singer was holding their daughters against their will at his Atlanta, Georgia and Chicago, Illinois homes in a “cult” that he had formed. The families alleged that the singer had forced them to cut off all outside communications and begun controlling every aspect of the women’s lives, including when they eat and sleep, how they dress, and how they are supposed to engage in sexual encounters. The allegations were corroborated by several members of Kelly’s inner circle.

In response to the allegations, 10 of Kelly’s tour dates were canceled after ticket sales were down and Spotify removed his music from the platform. The hashtag #MuteRKelly was also launched on Twitter in an effort to shut down Kelly’s music career.