Last week, many people on the internet were shocked to discover a new R. Kelly album titled I Admit It popped up on streaming services. The imprisoned R&B singer’s reps are claiming someone stole his music.
According to TMZ, representatives for R. Kelly contacted authorities about 300 to 500 missing master recordings. The masters apparently disappeared from an Illinois storage facility in February.
An individual named Keith Calbert supposedly reported the alleged crime to the police. Calbert told investigators that two roadies took the master recordings to California and demanded $160,000 to get them back.
The I Admit It album showed up on Spotify and Apple Music on December 9. R. Kelly’s legal team insisted that their client did not authorize the release of the 13-track project. The streaming services quickly removed I Admit It from their respective platforms.
R. Kelly’s Lawyer Says People Are Trying To Profit From Her Client’s Intellectual Property
“A police report was filed some time ago because his masters were stolen, but there’s not much of an appetite to investigate these things,” Kelly’s attorney, Jennifer Bonjean, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Bonjean continued, “People have had access to his intellectual property rights that they are attempting to profit off of, but unfortunately that does not include Mr. Kelly.” The lawyer also said the situation is upsetting for the 55-year-old felon.
Last year, a New York federal jury convicted Robert “R.” Kelly of racketeering and sex-related crimes. In September of this year, an Illinois federal jury found Kelly guilty of the production of child pornography and enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity.
United States District Judge Ann M. Donnell sentenced R. Kelly to 30 years in federal prison for his 2021 convictions in New York. Sentencing for the 2022 child pornography trial will take place on February 23, 2023.
