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R. Kelly Album 'I Admit It' Released to Streaming Services
R. Kelly may be behind bars, but that hasn’t stopped new music from being released.
On Friday, a mysterious project called I Admit It appeared on streaming services. The 13-track collection includes leaks that were never officially released including “I Found Love,” “Good Old Days,” and “Freaky Sensation.”
The final tracks, a three-part set called “I Admit It,” serves as a confessional with Kelly addressing the sexual assault allegations for which he was later found guilty.
“I admit I done made some mistakes and I have some imperfect ways,” sings the disgraced superstar, while admitting that he “fu**ed with a couple of fans.”
“How they gon’ say I don’t respect these women when all I’ve done is represent? / Take my career and turn it upside down ’cause you’re mad I’ve got some girlfriends / Hell with this record deal / It ain’t worth this shot for real / Ain’t seen my kids in years / They’re tryna lock me up like Bill.”
Kelly goes on to say that he was a victim of sexual assault (“I admit a family member touched me”) and addresses Spotify removing his music from their playlists in the wake of the allegations. “I’m not convicted, not arrested, but dragged my name in the dirt / All this work to be successful and you abandoned me ’cause of what you heard.”
He uploaded the 19-minute track “I Admit It” to SoundCloud in 2018, but this marks the first time the music has appeared on streaming services.
The project was released under the Legacy Recordings banner, a division of Sony Music. However, a label source tells TMZ that despite the Legacy label, the project is not an official release. It’s unclear who is behind the bootleg version.
Kelly is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence after being convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering in a federal trial in New York. In September, he was found guilty on six counts in his federal child porn trial in Chicago. He will be sentenced in February.