R. Kelly Allegedly Had Sex With Underaged Aaliyah in Front of His Entourage

R. Kelly’s backup singer stated she met him when she was 14-years-old. She alleges she witnessed the Grammy Award-winning singer having multiple sexual encounters with underage girls including Aaliyah Haughton who was his protegee at one point.

Cunningham talked about when she met Aaliyah who at the time was 12 years old. She stated that she wore glasses and was a tomboy. She was introduced to R. Kelly through Barry Hankerson who was her uncle and the singer’s manager.

Cunningham also stated that Aaliyah was beautiful and she was snuck out of their hotel room and they went out on the town. Aaliyah would later have a debut album named “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number,” and R. Kelly wrote the single by that name.

During the interview with People Magazine, Cunningham discusses when she alleges she discovered R. Kelly who was 27 in a sexual relationship with  15-year-old Aaliyah. She states they were on the tour bus and in the bus there were bunk beds that had curtains.

All the band members were in their bunks and the curtains were not closed because everybody was talking to each other. The room door opened on the bus and it is alleged she saw the singer having sex with Aaliyah.

It was reported in 1994 that R.Kelly and Aaliyah got married. The news printed a marriage certificate that said Aaliyah was 18 at the time of her marriage, although she was actually 15.

The R&B singer and Aaliyah never discussed their relationship in public. In the documentary, Demetrius Smith, former personal assistant claimed he was in the room at the time of their marriage and he was not proud of that fact. He had forged paperwork because Aaliyah was not old enough to get married. The ceremony was quick. Aaliyah did not have on a wedding gown and he did not wear a tuxedo. They wore regular clothes. He also stated Aaliyah looked scared and worried.

Within a year, Aaliyah’s parents decided to have the marriage annulled.

In 2002, a video came to light that allegedly had R. Kelly engaging in a sexual act with a woman. Witnesses stated the woman was 14 when the recording took place. Both parties denied they were the people in the video and the Grammy Winner was not charged with any crime. In 2008 R. Kelly was charged with 21 charges of possessing child pornography and was found not guilty.

BuzzFeed News reported, in July 2017, an allegation that R. Kelly kept six women hostage in his Chicago and Georgia residencies and had them fulfill his sexual desires and if they broke his ‘rules’ they would be punished.

Charges were never pressed against the singer. Time’s Up, which is a women’s rights organization and celebrities like John Legend and Ava DuVernay lead a boycott of R. Kelly’s music with #MuteRKelly.

Whether or not R. Kelly had sex with Aaliyah has never been proven. However, this documentary will give the viewer something to think about.

Written by Barbara Sobel
Edited by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

The Muse: In Surviving R. Kelly, the Artist’s Alleged Abuse and Music Are Undeniably Intertwined
Inquisitr: R. Kelly Had Sex With 15-Year-Old Aaliyah On Tour Bus Full Of His Entourage, Former Backup Singer Claims
People: R. Kelly Had Sex with Underaged Aaliyah and Members of His Entourage Witnessed It, Claims Former Backup Singer

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