By Anne Steele 

This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (January 19, 2019).

Pop singer R. Kelly and Sony Corp.'s RCA Records label are parting ways, amid renewed scrutiny of sexual-abuse allegations against the R&B artist.

The split comes a week after a six-part Lifetime documentary series, "Surviving R. Kelly," sparked a public campaign for the label to drop the 52-year-old singer.

Mr. Kelly has been removed from RCA's roster, according to a person familiar with the matter, and is no longer listed as an artist on the website for the label. He had been under contract with RCA since 2012. He had previously been affiliated with corporate siblings of RCA since 1991, when he signed with the former Jive Records.

Mr. Kelly's manager, James Mason, declined to comment on the split. RCA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sexual-abuse allegations, including accusations of holding women hostage in a "sex cult," have swirled around Mr. Kelly for decades, but attention picked up last year amid a #MuteRKelly social media campaign aiming to end the singer's career.

Mr. Kelly was indicted in 2002 for child-pornography charges but was acquitted in 2008.

Mr. Kelly and his representatives have denied the allegations repeatedly.

In May, Spotify pulled R. Kelly's music from playlists created by company employees as it rolled out a policy banning "Hate Content and Hateful Conduct." The music-streaming service walked back that policy three weeks later.

"This victory belongs to the survivors of his abuse," said Arisha Hatch, managing director at Color of Change, a racial-justice organization that has been leading protests outside the label's New York headquarters this week. "Their brave testimonies played a critical role in pushing RCA to drop R. Kelly."

The documentary included interviews with Mr. Kelly's former associates and family members, as well as women who said they were drawn into sexually abusive relationships with the singer as minors, in some cases as they were trying to break into the music industry.

The singer of "Ignition (Remix)" and "I Believe I Can Fly" has been a prominent figure in R&B since the 1990s, racking up more than 20 platinum records and three Grammy Awards.

Though Mr. Kelly's career continued to thrive amid various allegations over the years, last week artists began distancing themselves from the singer. Some, including Chance the Rapper, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, publicly apologized for collaborating with R. Kelly, and had those songs removed from streaming services and digital download stores.

Also on Friday, Mr. Mason, the manager, turned himself in to authorities in Georgia on a warrant for threatening a man who accused Mr. Kelly of holding his daughter captive. The Henry County Sheriff's Office, near Atlanta, released Mr. Mason later Friday morning on a $10,000 bond.

Mr. Mason said he expects to be exonerated. "My team and I will present facts soon that will discredit any and all accusations that suggest that I have engaged in any acts of bullying, harassment or aggressive acts," he said.

Write to Anne Steele at Anne.Steele@wsj.com

 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 19, 2019 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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