As R. Kelly's attorneys prepare his defense for his upcoming trial, the singer's ex-wife and children are reportedly set to star in the next season of Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta. Drea Kelly and her three children will appear on the WEtv show. According to The Blast, two of their three kids are still minors, and typically when underage children are set to be on reality television, both parents need to give permission. However, since Kelly allegedly hasn't had contact with his children for years, Drea moved forward with the contract without him.
It is still unknown how much Kelly will be a topic of conversation on the show, but The Blast claims that the focus of the family's storyline will be on 21-year-old Joann, also known under her stage name Buku Abi. The show will give her a platform for her singing career. Just days ago Kelly took to Instagram to break his social media silence by singing Joann happy birthday.
Meanwhile, Kelly's lawyers have a long, hard road ahead of them. TMZ reports that they're in the midst of shaping his defense, and in order to do so, they're requesting copies of the alleged sex tapes that the prosecution claims are of Kelly and underage girls. Steven Greenberg, Kelly's attorney, tells TMZ that he should begin receiving the prosecution's materials as early as next week, however, they don't know exactly what will arrive.
Greenberg further claims that once he receives the alleged sex tapes, he plans on ordering a complete forensic analysis of the materials if he believes that his client is featured on them. If not, then they're going to pick up speed and attempt to start the trial as soon as possible. It's also reported that Kelly, who can't leave the state of Illinois, has been trying to book shows overseas in order to bring in some money.