Oct 5
'09
R. Kelly sort-of admits he’s illiterate

UPI POY 2008 - Entertainment
Singer R. Kelly, who is widely considered to have preyed on young girls despite being found not guilty of child pornography due to the poor video quality of his alleged sex tape with a 14 year-old (he also married now-deceased singer Aaliyah in 1994 when she was 15 and he was 27) seems to have revealed that he’s functionally illiterate. While describing how he’d achieved success despite setbacks, he explained “I don’t even read, really.” I guess that explains the lyrics to “I Believe I Can Fly,” which he referenced while denouncing the “haters” in a rambling speech at a music conference in Chicago last week. Kelly also called himself a “survivor,” and explained that his “life is a story” that he tells through music. He attributed his success to believing in himself and sending out love instead of hate. I will refrain from making comments about the predatory “love” that he directs at underage girls. To be fair to a guy who probably doesn’t deserve it, the theme of the conference was “burying the stigma of hate [in the] Midwest music business,” so he wasn’t getting all preachy about the haters for nothing:

While giving some kind of motivational speech to the city of Chicago, [sic: it was at the "Midwest Music Networking" event] R. Kelly admitted that he can’t read, kinda sorta. “I don’t even read, really. And I’m not even afraid to say that,” he began, before launching into a diatribe about the power of love, or whatever. “I got y’all beat if ya hating on me, ’cause I love you. That’s why I keep doing what I do. Isn’t it weird? ‘You just keep on going! How do you keep going and I’m standing here?’ ‘Cause hatin’ is heavy. How you gonna believe you can fly, you too damn heavy. You sinkin’. Stop hatin’ and fly.” I’m actually going to keep hating, thanks. And you can join Nas as one of those artists who shouldn’t do anything with a microphone except sing into it. via Fakeshoredrive

[The Boombox.com via Gossip Rocks]

Kelly did make some decent points during his speech. He touched on the themes of triumphing over hardship and having faith in your ability to succeed. He also said that he would meet his haters with love and that “I got ya’ll beat if you’re hating on me. Because I love you. That’s why I keep doing what I do.” And I thought he did it for the money. Kelly, 42, grew up in the projects on the South Side of Chicago. He was the second youngest of four children raised by a single mother, and never graduated from high school. For all the very accurate derogatory things you can say about the guy, he did achieve a huge amount of success despite poor odds. So did Roman Polanski. That shouldn’t give either of them a pass, although that’s what seems to have happened in both cases.

Written by Celebitchy

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Posted in R. Kelly


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18 Responses to “R. Kelly sort-of admits he’s illiterate”

  1. BitterBetty says:

    “I got ya’ll beat if you’re hating on me. Because I love you. That’s why I keep doing what I do.”

    Spoken like a true pedophile. is the “Midwest Music Networking event” a cover up for a pedobear convention?

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  2. Tazina says:

    Illiterate? Hire a private tutor, man. In no time you’ll be able to read over those contracts to make sure nobody is ripping you off.

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  3. NIKKI says:

    Couldn’t have said it better BitterBetty, he’s the biggest paedo of them all! the fact that he got away with it kills me! ugh! can we all just lock them away?! Money and Power will get you anything I suppose. What a wanker.

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  4. Lauram says:

    I think “can’t” and “don’t” are two different things….

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  5. lottaluvin says:

    He’s a scumbag. Can’t stand him..

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  6. BOGART4017 says:

    Some of these so-called rappers are going back to school to get their degrees. That seems to be the trend anyway (no one has an original idea). Maybe Kelly can go back to High School and get his diploma!

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  7. meow says:

    I would think that the hot young chicks would be motivation for returning to school. It would be a pedo dream.

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  8. GatsbyGal says:

    He married Aaliyah when she was 15 and he was 27? Really?? I never knew that. What a sick bastard. If I ever had any doubts that he likes ‘em young, they’re now completely gone.

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  9. reggie says:

    There is NO excuse to be illerate in this day and age and does he really think he HAS to tell us he’s illerate?!?!?! Can we not guess that on our own?

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  10. j. ferber says:

    The only difference between R. Kelly and Michael Jackson is that Kelly liked girls instead of boys. He should be castigated in the same way that Jackson was.

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  11. rjay says:

    STOP HATING ON R KELLY.
    AS I RECALL HE GOT AQUITTED!!
    HE’S STILL GOING TO HAVE DOUBLE PLATNUM CD AND SOLD OUT CONCERT TOUR. THIS MEANS YOUR NEGATIVE OPINIONS MEAN NOTHING TO HIS BANK ACCOUNT. FOR THOSE OF YOU SPEAKING ILL OF THE DEAD MICHAEL JACKSON WAS ALSO AQUITTED!!
    JUDGE NOT LEST YE BE JUDGED!!!

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  12. j. ferber says:

    Acquitted can also mean a miscarriage of justice. It doesn’t mean R. Kelly should not be tried in the court of public opinion. As I recall, the murderers of Emmett Till, the 14 year old black boy killed for whistling at a white woman, were also acquitted. That doesn’t mean anyone has to respect that jury’s decision
    or the juries trying Jackson or Kelly. Juries can be wrong and it’s our right as Americans to express that opinion. So Kelley has his money. Big deal. He’s still illiterate and a pedophile.

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  13. Robert McFarland says:

    I think R.kelly is a greatest artist ever even if he is illiterate I just think he is very talented I wish him success in his career

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  14. Hunter Reed says:

    i love r&b music becaue it sounds soothing to my ears.’~~

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  15. R&B music is the best music, it is cool and very lively,;-

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  16. R&B music is the best kind of music, i can listen to R&B music all day and night’*’

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  17. I determination immediately pinch your rss nurture to impede abreast of any updates. Good work and much triumph in your issue efforts!

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