R. Kelly was recently found guilty on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, and he currently faces the possibility of life behind bars. As of now, his sentencing date is scheduled for May of 2022.
In the wake of the guilty verdict, YouTube has made the decision to permanently suspend two of R. Kelly's channels: RKellyTV and RKellyVevo. As per a report by Bloomberg, the platform has also prohibited Kelly from making additional channels moving forward. As of yet, they have maintained their decision to keep his discography on YouTube Music.
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Speaking on the decision, YouTube's head of legal Nicole Alston cited the "creator responsibility guidelines." “Egregious actions committed by R. Kelly warrant penalties beyond standard enforcement measures due to a potential to cause widespread harm,” states Alston. “Ultimately we are taking this action to protect our users similar to other platforms.”
It's not the first time YouTube has actively removed a channel from its platform. In the past, Bloomberg notes that they have taken action against Larry Nassar, Family of Five, and Austin Jones. A policy was introduced in 2018 that would allow YouTube to take action against content creators who actively participate in any behavior that could “cause malicious harm to others."
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Be sure to stay tuned for further developments on the R. Kelly saga, as the fallout may have an impact on the music industry. It's not the first time a major streaming platform has taken a strong stance against an artist -- many will look to Spotify's briefly-implemented "hateful conduct" policy, which led to the removal of music by XXXTentacion, R. Kelly, and more from their playlists. The move was met with backlash from fans and artists alike, prompting its reversal shortly thereafter.
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