On the Culture Protecting R. Kelly

“Surviving R. Kelly” exposes even more of men’s bare minimum politics when it comes to Black women

R. Kelly performing in Oakland, California, in January 2017. Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Lifetime’s documentary series Surviving R. Kelly offers one of the most comprehensive dives into Kelly’s history of brutality. Accusations against Robert Kelly—the man who plays god—range from sexual assault to domestic violence, rape, sex…