"The music isn’t that good": R Kelly’s musical abilities spark online debate amid new Kendrick Lamar song

R Kelly’s musical abilities recently came under scrutiny after Kendrick Lamar name-dropped the controversial rapper on two of his songs from his much-anticipated new album Mr. Morales and The Big Steppers.

Lamar featured an argument with Taylour Paige in his song We Cry Together while mentioning Kelly's name. Paige can be heard singing:

“You the reason Harvey Weinstein had to see his conclusion/You the reason R. Kelly can't recognize that he's abusive.”

In response to the lyrics, Lamar is heard singing:

“Man, shut the f**k up, we all know you still playin' his music.”

The exchange was made about Kelly’s past controversies and sentencing. Lamar also mentioned Kelly in his song Mr. Morale, claiming that the latter was himself abused during his childhood:

“I think about Robert Kelly/If he weren't mol*sted, I wonder if life'll fail him.”

Following the release of the songs, several people debated if Kelly’s music could be separated from his conduct.

While some said that the musician made good music irrespective of his controversial behavior, others denied his music-making abilities and claimed no one listens to his work any longer.

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R Kelly’s music leaves Twitter divided after Kendrick Lamar's lyric

Twitter is divided over R Kelly's music and his illegal personal behavior (Image via Antonio Perez/Getty Images)

Former singer, songwriter, and record producer R Kelly was once considered a phenomenon who redefined the R&B music industry. He was previously hailed as “the King of R&B,” “the King of Pop-Soul,” and the “Pied Piper of R&B.”

However, the musician was convicted as a sex offender and found guilty of harassing several young women and girls, including minors, over the years.

Despite being one of the most successful R&B male artists of the '90s and one of the world's best-selling music artists, Kelly was largely condemned after his alleged disgraceful actions came to light.

As Kendrick Lamar mentioned Kelly on two of his latest tracks, netizens flocked to Twitter to argue if the art can be separated from the artists:

Some social media users claimed that people still listened to Kelly’s music despite his misconduct, while others alleged that no one supports the artist or his music any longer:

As reactions continue to pour in online, it remains to be seen if Kendrick Lamar will acknowledge the ongoing debate and share more about the reason behind mentioning R Kelly’s name in his music.

Meanwhile, Kelly is currently in custody, awaiting his upcoming sentencing scheduled for June 16, 2022. The singer first came under scrutiny in 1995 after he illegally married 15-year-old singer Aaliyah Haughton.

Around the same time, the media began accusing him of abusing young adults and minors. Following mounting allegations of abuse over the years, Kelly was arrested on federal charges by the New York City Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations on July 11, 2019.

He faced nearly 22 federal criminal charges for abusing young adults and minors and was detained without bail. Kelly was placed on trial by the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York in 2021 on nine criminal counts, including violations of the Mann Act, racketeering, bribery, child exploitation, and human trafficking.

Besides his upcoming June 2022 sentencing, R Kelly is scheduled to face another federal trial in the Northern District of Illinois in August 2022 alongside his former employees for the alleged production of child abuse material and conspiracy behind his 2008 acquittal.