(AllHipHop News) Robert “R.” Kelly is facing multiple state and federal charges for years of alleged sexual misconduct against girls and women. Accusations that the Grammy-winning singer was attracted to minors began back in 1994 when reports surfaced that a 27-year-old Kelly married then-15-year-old rising performer Aaliyah.
The marriage would eventually be annulled, and Aaliyah would go on to date Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder Damon “Dame” Dash before her death in 2001. Dash is now ready to discuss what he claims to know about Aaliyah’s relationship with Kelly in Lifetime’s forthcoming Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning.
“Aaliyah was like the sacrificial lamb for all that because she didn’t deserve none of that,” offered Dash in a clip of the docuseries. “Good soul, good girl, and wasn’t even so resentful. Like, ‘Let that man live but just keep him the f*ck away from me.’ That’s all she wanted. She was just happy to be away.”
Demetrius Smith, a former tour manager for Kelly, has stated that he is aware of the Chicago native purchasing Aaliyah a fake ID in order to obtain a marriage license. Federal prosecutors have charged R. Kelly for bribing government officials in connection to the supposed fraudulent identification documents.
“I know the whole story,” added Dash. “I know it was the cover-up. But how does that cover it up? It just made the conversation less crazy. Like, ‘Oh, he married a child?’ That was a headline. That was like, a rumor. That was something talked about like it was normal. It wasn’t like, ‘Ew, disgusting. You married a 13-year-old.’ It was like, ‘Oh, he married Aaliyah?’ She’s 13!”
A person behind the camera corrected Dash on Aaliyah being 15 at the time of the marriage. The outspoken entrepreneur responded, “I don’t have to be accurate because I don’t care. Fifteen, thirteen, anything under eighteen is disgusting. She was a child.”
Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning is the sequel to 2019’s Emmy-nominated Surviving R. Kelly. The second edition of the docuseries premieres on January 2 at 9 ET pm on Lifetime.
