Why is R Kelly in jail? Details explored as Kanye West shows support with 'FREE R KELLY' X post 

Kanye West, aka Ye, recently shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) in support of R Kelly before deleting it a few hours later. He urged the musician, who is serving a sentence for alleged s*x trafficking, to be freed.

Ye posted on X, writing:

"Free R Kelly."

As per a report by Reuters published on February 12, 2025, R Kelly was first convicted in 2021. His conviction was recently upheld by a federal appeals court on February 12, 2025. He is serving a 30-year sentence for alleged s*x trafficking and racketeering. He is also serving another 20-year sentence for alleged sexual abuse, for which he was convicted in 2022.

However, Kanye West recently offered his support to the R&B star on X.

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R Kelly's conviction was recently upheld

As per a report by Reuters published on February 12, 2025, Robert Sylvester Kelly was convicted with one charge of racketeering and eight charges of violating the Mann Act in 2021 by a Brooklyn, New York jury. The Mann Act forbids transporting people outside the state lines for prostitution.

Recently, he and his team appealed that the federal agents failed to prove he was involved with racketeering. However, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals rejected these claims on February 12, 2025. Circuit Judge Denny Chin wrote:

"There was extensive evidence showing how Kelly ensnared young girls and women into his orbit, endeavored to control their lives, and secured their compliance with his personal and sexual demands through verbal and physical abuse, threats of blackmail, and humiliation."

As per an article by Courthouse News Service, published on February 12, 2025, Kelly's lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, has claimed that the artist might now appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

“We believe the United States Supreme Court will be interested in reviewing this unprecedented opinion that gives the government limitless discretion to apply the RICO statute to situations absurdly remote from the statute’s intent. The statute was intended to punish organized crime, not individual conduct," she said.

With the conviction upheld, the Grammy-winning R&B star will continue to serve his 30-year sentence.

As per Reuters, Kelly's trial involved accusations of misconduct over around 20 years. The hearing included testimonies from 45 government witnesses, including victims. They explained various cases of misconduct in detail.

Kelly and his team argued that four jurors were biased against him as they knew too much about the case. They also made some other arguments but he was still convicted.

Meanwhile, in September 2022, R. Kelly was convicted for three counts of child pornography and three counts of enticing minors for s*x, as per Reuters. The U.S. District Court in Chicago sentenced him to 20 years, with 19 of them overlapping through his previous 30-year sentence.

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Kanye West's post for R Kelly

Despite being in prison at FCI Butner Medium I in North Carolina, the R&B star hasn't left music. He has continued to write and compose new songs and sing old ones as well.

In a recent video on social media, R Kelly was heard serenading a woman on her 50th birthday via a phone call. The video was posted on April 25, 2025, and it led to many reactions from fans online.

Sharing the video on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, Kanye West wrote "FREE R KELLY" on his official X account, sparking controversy online.

Many users have slammed the American artist for supporting a person who is convicted of child abuse and racketeering. The artist then deleted the tweet after a few hours.