Keri Hilson is in hot water after voicing her love for R. Kelly.
The R&B vocalist, who collaborated with Kelly on the 2009 single “Number One,” named the disgraced artist among her top singer-songwriters on the May 20 episode of podcast On That Note.
Around the 57-minute mark of the video below, Hilson admitted that she was “afraid” to namedrop Kelly, who she enjoyed during her “formative years” before “learning something about him” that she dislikes. The 3-time Grammy winner, 59, is serving a 30-year sentence on multiple convictions of sex trafficking, racketeering and child sex abuse.
“But if I can say Robert Kelly is one of my favorite singer-songwriters,” Hilson said, adding that Kelly was “most inspiring” to her.
Podcast host and Boyz II Men member respected Hilson’s opinion and insisted that his listeners are “capable of separating” Kelly versus his crimes.
After going on to name Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and others among her top five singer-songwriters, Hilson was slammed on social media.
Other millennial artists like recent VERZUZ co-headliners Tyrese and Tank have caught flack for defending Kelly as one of their favorite R&B artists. One person went as far as calling Hilson a “bird” for her opinion.
Others taunted Hilson for her co-writing the remix to “Turnin’ Me On,” which included lyrics that dissed Beyoncé, although the artist insists that she wasn’t behind it.
