Editorial Photo Credit: Jamie Lamor Thompson
Would you still support an artist’s music despite the controversies in the artist’s life?
This debate has plagued consumers and critics about separating an artist’s art from their personal lives and last month, after R. Kelly was found guilty in his federal sex trafficking case in New York, the Recording Academy was forced to have the same conversation.
Following that guilty verdict, YouTube permanently suspended R. Kelly’s channels and banned him from creating any new ones in the future, but critics also want R. Kelly’s three Grammys — all of which were won in 1998 for “I Believe I Can Fly” — to be revoked.
According to the Chicago Sun Times, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. had this to say:
“I think it’s something that we’re going to need to take a good hard look at, have a lot of conversations about, work through and make a decision,” Mason said. In 1997, Kelly won Grammys in three different categories for “I Believe I Can Fly” from the “Space Jam” soundtrack.
“But right now, I think it’s something that is going to take a little bit more consideration before we can really dictate or decide,” he continued. “My initial feeling is we’re probably not a business that we want to be in of taking people’s awards back after they’ve been given. But we’ll take a good look at it and see.”
And according the Recording Academy, “only one trophy has been revoked in the 62-year history of the Grammys. The award to pop duo Milli Vanilli was stripped in 1990 after the group admitted to lip-synching the “Girl You Know It’s True” album.”
Read more here: Chicago Sun Times