R. Kelly Says He Was "Absolutely Not" Wrong In His Controversial Relationship With Aaliyah

He also talked about his 2008 child pornography trial.

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Complex Original

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In a new wide-ranging interview with GQ​'s Chris HeathR. Kelly talked about the numerous sexual assault allegations against him throughout his career. In the disturbing account of R. Kelly's past, the singer also discussed his 2008 child pornography trial, his marriage to Aaliyah, and more. The past accusations against Kelly has been a touchy subject for years, and Kelly rarely discusses anything about it in interviews. Last month, Kelly stormed out of an interview with Huffpost Live after he was pressed about the past allegations of sexual assault.

Though Kelly talked openly with Heath about a number of these upsetting issues, his disconcerting answers throughout the interview will leave many very troubled. For instance, his comments on Bill Cosby, where he said he isn't convinced that he is guilty and that only God could show him that he was. "Well, my opinion on that is, I don't know what happened," Kelly said. "But God would have to do that, because God is the only one can show me that. No man can tell me that. No woman can tell me that. And when you wait 70 years, 50 years, 40 years, to say something that simple, it's strange. You know why I say that is because it happened to me, and it wasn't true."

In reference to his 2008 child pornography trial, R. Kelly refused to say whether or not he appeared in the troublesome video with an underage female, which he says is to protect himself. Kelly also—albeit rather naively—said that he doesn't think that his fans believe it was him in the video. "I just think those people didn't believe that nonsense," he said. "That's what I think. And they said, ‘The hell with what other people are saying—we love R. Kelly, we believe R. Kelly, he was found innocent, he's moving on with his life, he's not letting that tear him down.’ I believe that's what it was." 

Kelly was pressed about the trial during various parts of the interview and how jurors almost unanimously believed it was him in the video. He credits this to "haters out there wanted to see him go down." He also danced around the fact that he was found not guilty in the case because the jurors couldn't prove the female was underage. "Well, to be honest with you, man…however, whatever, whenever. When a person is found not guilty, they're found not guilty," he said. "And it doesn't matter if it's a murder case, it doesn't matter what case it is, when they're found not guilty, they're not guilty." When asked if he urinates on his partners during sex, he said "absolutely not." 

When asked about his past relationship with Aaliyah, who Kelly wed when she was only 15, he refused to talk about it in detail because of her family. "I will never have that conversation with anyone. Out of respect for Aaliyah, and her mother and father who has asked me not to personally," he said. "But I can tell you I loved her, I can tell you she loved me, we was very close. We were, you know, best best best best friends."

Even given the opportunity to clear the air with the situation, Kelly refused to discuss anything in detail about Aaliyah. "Well, there's a lot of ways to be in love with a person. I was in love with my grandfather, you know. But yeah, I would say I was in love with Aaliyah just like I was in love with anybody else," he said. However, Kelly did acknowledge that it is currently perceived as a fact by most people that he was married and involved in a sexual relationship with Aaliyah while she was underage. When asked if he felt like he did anything wrong in regards to his relationship with Aaliyah, he responded with, "That's my answer forever: Absolutely not.”

Heath and Kelly also discussed the many cases that the singer has settled over the years, Kelly says he wishes he wouldn't have listened to his lawyers and that he believes he was extorted by every single accuser despite the history and facts that are stacked against them. "So the people who said these things, they were all liars?," Heath asked. "All of them. And it wasn't many. It wasn't like it was a whole ton of people. But the people that did were absolutely lying. Absolutely," Kelly responded. "If that come out, I gotta get a lawyer, and once I get that lawyer, that lawyer gonna tell me to shut up. Because no matter what you say, you're gonna look bad," Kelly said. "Wrong or right, you can win the battle and lose the war. It's on you, but that's what we advise you to do.’ I go home, I think about all my hard work, I look at my studio, I look at my kids, I look at my wife at the time, or any other time, and I say, ‘I don't want to settle.’" You can read the full interview here

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