Keri Hilson is facing criticism online after expressing admiration for R. Kelly.
The R&B singer, who teamed up with Kelly on the 2009 track “Number One,” included the controversial artist on her list of favorite singer-songwriters during the May 20 episode of the On That Note podcast.
At around the 57-minute mark of the episode, Hilson admitted she was “afraid” to mention Kelly by name. She explained that his music had a major impact on her during her “formative years,” before she later “learned something about him” that she found troubling. Kelly, a three-time Grammy winner, is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence following convictions related to sex trafficking, racketeering, and child sexual abuse.
“But if I can say Robert Kelly is one of my favorite singer-songwriters,” Hilson stated, adding that he was among the artists who inspired her the most.
Podcast host and Shawn Stockman respected Hilson’s perspective, arguing that listeners are “capable of separating” Kelly’s musical contributions from his criminal actions.
After also listing icons such as Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder among her top five singer-songwriters, Hilson quickly found herself facing backlash across social media.
She is not the only millennial-era artist to receive criticism for praising Kelly. Recent VERZUZ co-headliners Tyrese and Tank have also been called out in the past for naming Kelly as one of their favorite R&B performers. Some critics were especially harsh toward Hilson, with one social media user even labeling her a “bird” over her comments.
Others took the opportunity to mock Hilson over her involvement in the remix of “Turnin’ Me On,” which featured lyrics widely interpreted as shots at Beyoncé. However, Hilson has consistently maintained that she was not responsible for writing those controversial lines.
