Growing up, I would hear about the stories about R. Kelly. As kids, we would hear about the sides of R. Kelly: The music and the predator. R. Kelly has been a prominent music figure for almost thirty years but during these years he has abused dozens of women. For years, there has been allegations, trials, settlements, and women coming forward telling their testimonies of how the singer had abused.

Surviving R. Kelly: R. Kelly Documentary On Abuse Allegations & Sex Cultwww.youtube.com

Lifetime released the six-part docu-series "Surviving R. Kelly" this past week. It divulges his history of sexual abuse over the course of twenty-seven years. It includes interviews with victims, their parents, fellow musicians, radio personalities, former members of his team, and both his brothers. We learn about the details of his abuse in the media. From his illegal marriage to the late singer Aaliyah to the infamous sex tape with an underage girl. Recently, it's alleged that he has a sex cult in Atlanta and Chicago. There are more details in the documentary stated but I'll leave them out as they are disgusting and just traumatic to recap again. The documentary has been met with praise and controversy over the validity of the allegations made by these women.

The main thing asked is how has he been able to keep doing this? All I can say is you have to look at your own people.

The black community has kept R. Kelly on his musical pedestal for years and dismissed the claims made by his victims thinking they are all lying for fame and money. The urban media back in the day loved it as the system trying to take down another black man. People chose to protect prominent figures than black women and children. However, this is not someone you should be protecting. After watching the documentary, you can't say that this man is innocent when there has been physical evidence of him doing these things. People keep saying no because they grew up on the music. But what people don't know was that the songs he wrote for himself and other artists like Aaliyah, B2K, and Michael Jackson are detailing his sexual exploits. Now explain how you can still listen to an R. Kelly sing?

As of January 9, R. Kelly is under investigation in Fulton County, Georgia and the Chicago Police Department is currently building a case against the singer. R. Kelly's former tour manager has an outstanding warrant for threatening the parents of one of R. Kelly's victims. The #MuteRKelly movement is being promoted and hundreds of thousands of people in the celebrity, music, and black community. It's time's up for R. Kelly to served time for his crimes.