R. Kelly has seen his share of controversy. After several accusations of sexual relations with minors (as well as a couple of lawsuits), Kells has been subject to a lot of media scrutiny. In a recent interview with the Guardian, the singer spoke about another controversial figure in the R&B world-- Chris Brown.
Kells revealed that while he could empathize with Brown's demonization after his assault of then-girlfriend Rihanna, he never felt sorry for him.
"I only feel sorry for weak people," said the singer. "And mostly what I've come to find is that the weak people are the ones that are the haters. The ones that's talking about Chris Brown, or R Kelly, or anybody that's successful? I feel sorry for them, not Chris Brown, because he's obviously one strong individual to be able to do what he's done."
Kelly then went on to make some pretty grand comparisons concerning Brown's perseverance. "He got knocked down a little bit and he climbed up." he said. "You know, that sounds like Ali to me. That sounds like Martin Luther King to me. That sounds like a lot of the greats that have walked this earth. It even sounds a little bit like Jesus to me."
The Black Panties singer made sure to clarify his choice to liken Brown to a deity. "I'm not saying that Chris Brown is Jesus or R. Kelly is Jesus. But Jesus is the No 1 inspirer of someone being knocked down and rising again."
[via]