R&B singer R. Kelly is doing whatever it takes to make ends meet these days. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in February and has been jailed on two different occasions. The first was due to the recent accusations made against him by women who claim to be victims of abuse at his hands. The second time was for failing to pay a hefty sum of child support. The stints in jail, court fees, and lack of work due to his ruined reputation has led Kelly to scramble for cash. Now he’s jumping at any chance to collect a check. On Saturday, he appeared at the Dirty South Lounge in Springfield, Illinois, where he performed for a total of 28 seconds, according to Fox News .
Prior to the event, Kelly posted a video asking the press for mercy as he prepared to make a public appearance. Lately he hasn’t been able to go anywhere without being followed by reporters asking the hard-hitting questions, according to Vulture . He knew that being seen in a bar was probably going to lead to some harsh headlines so he tried to get ahead of the news.
“I got an event to do in Springfield, Illinois so I want the media to take it easy on me, man. This is how I got to get paid now, for right now. So I gotta go do this event and it’s a party. So when you see me in the club with a couple of drinks in my hand and chilling, please…take it easy. I appreciate it y’all, thanks.”
The Dirty South Lounge has a capacity of 450 people. However, only about 100 visitors stopped by to see Kelly. The price to get in the door was originally $100 but later lowered to $50 because of the low turnout.
R. Kelly gave a 28-second performance and spent about half an hour more hobnobbing with fans who paid $50 to $100 to see him at a club in the Illinois capital of Springfield. https://t.co/QeoDLOV3aO pic.twitter.com/HGMqbUfqMA
— ABC News (@ABC) April 7, 2019
Those that did attend the event said that Kelly arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning. He gave a brief performance lasting 28 seconds in which he sang a line from one of his old hits. The rest of the 35 minutes he was there was spent going around and talking to his fans, as well as taking a few selfies.
It’s safe to say that Kelly has lost a good portion of his fan base due to the allegations against him. Some have even called to boycott Kelly’s music to show support for his alleged victims. Thus, Kelly seemed to want to take the time to thank the small group of people still standing by him.
