Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly reportedly sold the rights to his first three albums— Born into the ‘90s, 12 Play and R. Kelly—in order to avoid arrest over his allegedly illegal marriage.
A childhood friend of the singer and his former security, Gem Pratt, made the claims during an installment of Surviving R. Kelly on Dec. 3. They alleged that Aaliyah’s father was distraught over the marriage and forced the annulment, Variety reported. Pratt further alleged that the “Back & Forth” songstress had a contractual arrangement with R. Kelly read her family wouldn’t press charges against him for the illegal marriage after it was annulled.
“Her dad didn’t want her anywhere near him,” Pratt said in the docuseries. As such, the now-55-year-old predator sold the rights to some of his albums, giving Aaliyah’s family a financial incentive while avoiding arrest.
Several on-camera guests in Surviving R. Kelly described his alleged marriage to the young artist as a tool to get him to avoid jail time for the statutory rape of a minor. At the time of the union—1994–Aaliyah was just 15 years old, and R. Kelly was 27.
Known for her exceptional beauty and talent, the “Are You That Somebody” singer was linked to various people in her industry. In October, Sis2Sis reported that veteran actor Isaiah Washington was smitten with her at one point.
“She was a doll baby…very mysterious…I had a crush on her. I could see why people would fall in love with her. She was just a beautiful human being,” he said during an interview with VLAD TV.
The actor had reportedly been friends with Aaliyah, as the two starred in the popular 2000 film Romeo Must Die.
“She was very in control of her being, but she was a businesswoman too. Super smart,” Isaiah weirdly responded about her being an alleged victim.
