……..As a parent myself and the mother of two daughters, these allegations are heartbreaking and horrific. I cannot imagine the pain their loved ones are going through, having awareness of what’s going on and desperate to get their daughters away from the self-proclaimed ‘Pied Piper of R&B.’ But I also must ask, as a woman and a mother, what were they thinking? They knew about his marriage to the late, under-aged Aaliyah, the ‘secret rooms’ in his home that even his former wife had no access to, that sex tape, the farce of a child pornography trial and Kelly’s public avoidance of anything resembling remorse.

So, with that knowledge and awareness on-deck, I only have one question left for the parents, his remaining inner circle and anyone else still claiming to be down for R. Kelly—–why? What is it about this talented, yet troubled man that makes his supporters deny the red flags, bells, whistles and alarms regarding his choices?

In my opinion, the reasoning, and consequences, are rooted in a race-conscious and misogynistic toxic mess. Somehow, apparently, his followers believe that a man who creates magic in the studio is simply incapable of such abhorrent acts. To them, it’s a larger conspiracy conceived by ‘wypipo’ and ‘fast-azz hussies/hoes/thots’ out to cash out and shut down one of R&B’s most prolific performers.

But by continuing to download his mp3s and attending his shows, rather than boycotting Kelly and holding him accountable, what do we gain? By enabling this proud pervert and even worse, providing him even fleeting contact with our girls and women, what are we teaching him and what are others learning about us, and our society in return?

Even if “Team Kelly” could supply some answers, what I do know is this: I haven’t dropped a dime in R. Kelly’s direction since 2002. I don’t follow him in social media and his music is out of rotation in our home. I enjoyed his music, saw him live a couple of times and for more his sake than ours, I wish the man would hit a therapist’s couch before picking up the mic again anytime soon. But in the meantime, the need to demonstrate morality to our children resonates more than ‘Kellz’’ catchy catalog.

(Click here to read the full commentary at soultracks.com)