The fall from grace that R. Kelly has been living through for the past two decades has seen him lose everything from his house of horror allegedly filled with underaged girls and boys all the way to the immense amount of respect he once had in the music industry.
One thing he has been able to keep a hold of is the record of accolades won throughout his career, particularly the three he received at the prestigious GRAMMY Awards back in 1998. However, many people think even those should be revoked due to the crimes he’s been convicted for, including sexual abuse, racketeering, and human trafficking amongst others.
In a recent interview with AP News, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. made it clear that although he finds the charges against Kellz to be “disturbing,” that doesn’t necessarily mean that his GRAMMYs will instantly be rescinded.
Take a look below at what Harvey told AP in regards to revoking R. Kelly’s GRAMMY awards:
“Despite the acts attached to Kelly, Mason said the singer’s three Grammys will remain with him for now. He, along with the academy, will continue to evaluate their decision with caution.
‘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. In 1997, Kelly won Grammys in three different categories for ‘I Believe I Can Fly’ from the ‘Space Jam’ soundtrack.
‘But right now, I think it’s something that is going to take a little bit more consideration before we can really dictate or decide,’ he continued. ‘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.’”
Given the fact that countless musicians have gone through similar accusations as R. Kelly and yet only one GRAMMY has been revoked in the ceremony’s 62-year history — Milli Vanilli’s infamous lip-synching fiasco cost the duo its “Best New Artist” win back in 1990 — it’s hard to say where this decision will ultimately lead.
Reactions have been mixed, with some who believe R. Kelly’s awards should be taken away while others feel he rightfully earned them regardless of his transgressions outside of the music. See some of the standout reactions we spotted on social media below, and let us know what you think:
