R. Kelly is using music to respond to rumors about his life.
In a 19-minute song called "I Admit It," the R&B singer, who has been rumored for decades to engage in predatory behavior toward young, underage women, hits back at reports that he runs a sex cult, according to Vibe.
"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," lyrics say, according to Vibe. "Say I'm abusing these women. What the (expletive)? That's some absurd (expletive). They brainwashed, really? Kidnapped, really? Can't eat, really? Real talk that (expletive) sounds silly."
Related: R. Kelly accused of abusing women, running cult
More directly, Kelly responds to journalist Jim DeRogatis, who wrote the BuzzFeed News story that brought the sex cult allegations against the singer to national attention. DeRogatis, who is based in Kelly's hometown of Chicago, has worked on stories about allegations against Kelly on and off since 2000.
“To Jim DeRogatis, whatever your name is / You been tryna destroy me for 25 whole years / Writin’ the same stories over and over again
“Off my name, you done went and made yourself a career / But guess what? I pray for you and family, and all my other enemies.”
Related: R. Kelly ‘unequivocally denies’ claims he’s holding women against their will in ‘cult’
Kelly also addresses being sexually abused as a child and proclaims his innocence regarding sexual predator allegations.
“I admit I (expletive) with all the ladies, that’s both older and young ladies,” he sings. “But tell me how they call it pedophile because that (expletive) is crazy.”
"Now I don't know what else to say except, I'm so falsely accused," he says later in the song.
Kelly once again admits he can’t read or write, something he has spoken about over the years. He also says he is dyslexic.
“I admit I can’t spell for (expletive) I admit that all I hear is hits / I admit that I couldn’t read the teleprompter when the Grammy’s asked me to present.”
Kelly also addresses his shows being canceled following the sex cult reports, addresses #MuteRKelly and Spotify and claims he was told to make settlements to protect his career, but does not appear to address abuse claims made by his ex-wife, Andrea Kelly.
Lyrics to "I Admit It" can be found at Genius.com. Audio of the song is on SoundCloud.
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