R. Kelly is looking at a long stretch behind bars after he was found guilty in his sex trafficking trial.
Kelly was found guilty of eight counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering — a charge generally used against organized crime associations.
As the campaign to #MuteRKelly continues, some have called for his three Grammy awards to be rescinded.
That will not be happening anytime soon… if ever.
Kelly won the Grammys in three separate categories for “I Believe I Can Fly,” the hit single from the “Space Jam” soundtrack in 1997.
During a recent interview with Chicago Sun-Times, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. shared that revoking artist’s awards was not a road the Academy wanted to travel down.
“I think it’s something that we’re going to need to take a good hard look at, have a lot of conversations about, work through and make a decision,” Mason said.
He continued: “Right now, I think it’s something that is going to take a little bit more consideration before we can really dictate or decide. My initial feeling is we’re probably not a business that we want to be in of taking people’s awards back after they’ve been given. But we’ll take a good look at it and see.”
Kelly’s conviction has only succeeded in fueling his supporters.
The Chicago singers’s streams spiked following his guilty verdict. According to Rolling Stone, sales from Sept. 27. through Oct. 3., Kelly’s on-demand audio streams were up 22%. His video streams were up 23%, and his album jumped 517%.
Kelly’s sentencing is set for May 4, 2022. He is facing 10 years to life in prison.
