YouTube removes R. Kelly’s accounts after sex trafficking conviction

YouTube has taken down channels RKellyTV and RKellyVevo, citing the decision as being “in accordance with our creator responsibility guidelines".

R. Kelly was found guilty last month of sex trafficking and racketeering by a jury in Brooklyn, New York, following a six-week trial and testimonies from 11 accusers.

A jury decided that the former singer used his celebrity status to sexually assault women and children for over 20 years.

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Although R. Kelly will be unable to create new channels, his songs will continue to be available on YouTube Music.

His songs will remain on the audio-streaming site, as will music videos of his that have been uploaded by other YouTube users.

Kelly will be sentenced on May 4, and with the severity of his conviction, could be sentenced to a maximum of 100 years in prison.

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Despite the ongoing allegations made against the former musician, his music is still popular on streaming platforms, especially among younger listeners, according to Chartmetric statistics obtained by Yahoo! Finance.

In September 2020 and Spring 2021, he was included on over 300 Spotify editorial playlists. There were also visible listening spikes on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

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R. Kelly's music is also still popular on TikTok, a video-sharing platform. His most popular tracks on the app include 'I Believe I Can Fly,' 'I'm a Flirt', and 'Ignition'.

Many of these songs were used as part of viral TikTok challenges and trends.

The MuteRKelly movement has urged other major sites to follow YouTube's lead and cease broadcasting or streaming R. Kelly’s songs.

Aneesa Ahmed is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter