The R&B singer announced the new song via Instagram on Monday.
R. Kelly is seemingly addressing the multiple sexual misconduct allegations made against him that he has vehemently denied over the years on his latest track, "I Admit."
The R&B singer took to Instagram on Monday, sharing a black-and-white selfie with a SoundCloud link to the 19-minute song, in which he sings about a variety of topics.
"Today is the day you’ve been waiting for," he wrote. "? I ADMIT ? link in bio."
Throughout the song, Kelly seemingly responds to claims that he has abused women, has "kidnapped" them and is holding them against their will in a sex cult -- repeatedly defending himself against the allegations he's previously denied.
“I’ve never said I was perfect. Say I’m abusing these women / What the f**k, that’s some absurd s**t," Kelly sings, in what appears to be a response to a Buzzfeed report from 2017 that alleged he formed an abusive sex cult in which he controls what the women eat, how they dress and when they should bathe. "They brainwashed? / Really? / Kidnapped? / Really? / Can’t eat? / Really? / Real talk, that s**t sound silly."
“What’s the definition of a cult?" he continues. "What’s the definition of a sex slave? / Go to the dictionary, look it up / Let me know I’ll be here waiting."
Kelly's lawyer first responded to the cult claims last July, saying in a statement to ET that Kelly was "both alarmed and disturbed at the recent revelations attributed to him."
"Mr. Kelly unequivocally denies such allegations and will work diligently and forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his name," the statement continued.
Later in the track, Kelly also calls out Spotify. The streaming platform initially removed his music from its popular playlists, only to later reverse the decision amid backlash. Kelly also sings about his relationships with underage women, feeling disrespected as an artist and more. Read some of his most controversial lyrics from the track below:
“I admit I f**k with all the ladies, that’s both older and young ladies / But tell me how they call it pedophile, because that s**t is crazy.”
“And if you really, really wanna know / Her father dropped her off at my show / And told this boy to put her on stage / I admit that she was over age / I admit that I was feelin’ her and I admit that she was feelin’ me / I admit that that’s the s**t that comes with being a celebrity / I ain’t chasing these ladies / These ladies are chasing me, yeah."
"I done made some mistakes. / How they gon’ say I don’t respect these women, when all I’ve done is represent (30 years) / Take my career and turn it upside down, ’cause you mad I’ve got some girlfriends (girlfriends)."
“I never thought it would come to this, to be the most disrespected artist (come) / So I had to write a song about this, ‘cause they always take my words and twist it (song) / Believe me it’s hard to admit all this, but I’m in my feelings about this sh*t (oh, oh, yeah, yeah). But I had to set the f**kin’ record straight, so (yeah, yeah)."
“You may have your opinions, entitled to your opinions / But really am I supposed to go to jail or lose my career because of your opinion / Yeah, go ahead and stone me, point your finger at me / Turn the world against me, but only God can mute me."
Earlier this year, a #MuteRKelly campaign was created in response to decades of sexual assault allegations facing the musician. It was endorsed by the Women of Color of Time’s Up -- a subcommittee of the Time's Up Movement that focuses on issues that affect women and girls of color. At the time, Kelly's management team responded to the campaign against him, calling the criticism on the 51-year-old singer "unjust and off-target."
"R. Kelly supports the pro-women goals of the Time’s Up movement," the statement read. "We understand criticizing a famous artist is a good way to draw attention to those goals -- and in this case, it is unjust and off-target. We fully support the rights of women to be empowered to make their own choices. Time’s Up has neglected to speak with any of the women who welcome R. Kelly’s support, and it has rushed to judgment without the facts. Soon it will become clear Mr. Kelly is the target of a greedy, conscious and malicious conspiracy to demean him, his family and the women with whom he spends his time."
"R. Kelly’s music is a part of American and African-American culture that should never --and will never -- be silenced," the statement continued. "Since America was born, black men and women have been lynched for having sex or for being accused of it. We will vigorously resist this attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture."
Hear more in the video below.
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