Timbaland calls R. Kelly 'the king of R&B'
Timbaland has asserted that jailed singer R. Kelly is "the king of R&B".
Kelly was sentenced to 31 years in prison over sex trafficking and racketeering charges last year after the Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly shed new light on his crimes.
In a recent episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast, Timbaland told host Shannon Sharpe that, despite R Kelly's history as a sex trafficker, the 51-year-old producer believed Kelly was still the best in his genre.
"R. Kelly's the king of R&B. We all know that man," noted Timbaland. "And it's funny... everybody jump when you say R. Kelly. I'm like, so we just gonna ignore the music that he gave us, that we all jam to?"
The producer - who has collaborated with Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, and others - also urged podcast listeners to separate art from the artist.
"His art is his art; I ain't going to bash the man's art," he said. "Don't mix music up with personal... Don't bring drama into music. Leave that outside."
Kelly was banned in 2021 from using or creating YouTube channels, with the Google-owned platform also shutting down his previous channels RKellyVevo and RKellyTV. However, his songs have remained on Spotify and Apple Music.
The 56-year-old was sentenced to 30 years in prison in New York in June 2022 after being convicted on one count of racketeering and eight counts of violating an anti-sex trafficking law. In February 2023, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Chicago on child pornography and child enticement charges. He is serving the sentences at the same time.
