Do Black Girls Matter? Jada Pinkett-Smith wants to know why folks still buy R. Kelly’s music

Jan 7, 2019

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Jada Pinkett Smith is wondering why people are still supporting the Pissy Pied Piper after discovering that R. Kelly’s music streams increased once the Surviving R. Kelly Lifetime docuseries premiered.

—R. Kelly claims he hasn’t watched #SurvivingRKelly—

The six-part series was the talk of social media over the weekend, exploring heartbreaking accounts from a number of women who claim R. Kelly sexually abused them and others.

The devastating docuseries, which also included claims from desperate parents that Kelly still has several girls locked away, caused Pinkett-Smith to take to social media to ask about the continued support for R. Kelly after sales of his music also increased over the weekend.

“So, I got an article this morning that R. Kelly streams have spiked substantially since the release of Surviving R. Kelly docuseries and I’m having a reeeeally difficult time understanding why,” she said to fans in a video post on Instagram.

“But I think it’s important that I understand why. I really would like for you guys to help me understand what I’m missing, even if I’m missing something that I don’t necessarily agree with. I just wanna understand what I’m missing.”

View this post on Instagram

How is it that R Kelly’s music sales have spiked (substantially) since the release of the docuseries Surviving R Kelly? I need some help in understanding. What am I missing???

A post shared by Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapinkettsmith) on Jan 6, 2019 at 10:02am PST

“And I really don’t wanna believe that it’s because black girls don’t matter enough, or is that the reason? Let me know,” Smith concluded.

The Blast reported that Kelly’s streams saw a 16% increase in streams on his 2002 single, “Ignition,” on Spotify.

That’s a problem Pinkett-Smith wants to examine further and will hold an online forum Wednesday at 5 p.m. PST on Facebook Live. The 47-year-old is the architect behind the widely popular Red Table Talk show.

—REVIEW: ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ Night 2: How the ‘Pied Piper of R&B’ continued making hits during his child pornography trial—

John Legend has been praised for appearing in the documentary to call out Kelly’s predatory behavior.

“To everyone telling me how courageous I am for appearing in the doc, it didn’t feel risky at all,” he wrote when the documentary aired Thursday. “I believe these women and don’t give a f— about protecting a serial child rapist. Easy decision.”