R. Kelly Announces Overseas Tour Amid Sexual Assault Scandal

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R. Kelly performs in concert at Barclays Center on September 25, 2015 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
R. Kelly is still booking shows, apparently.

The scandal surrounding R. Kelly hasn't died down but it clearly hasn't prevented him from trying to make his coins. Although the majority of the North American market has been riding the #MuteRKelly wave, apparently the controversy surrounding Surviving R. Kelly hasn't made its way overseas. The singer took to Instagram today to reveal that he'll be heading overseas for an upcoming tour.

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R. Kelly apparently has fans riding for him in overseas markets despite the heinous crimes he's been accused of committing. The singer revealed that he'll be hitting Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand. "🚨 NEW TOUR ALERT 🚨 Australia | New Zealand | Sri Lanka see y’all soon! 👑," he wrote on Instagram. The singer didn't actually reveal any dates for the tour yet.

As The Blast points out, the interesting part about the announcement is not only that it comes less than a month after Surviving R. Kelly aired, but that he initially denied a similar international tour announcement in December. "Watch my social media…when it’s time for my next international tour (which is soon) you’ll hear it directly from me. Stay tuned for more King shit in the VERY near future," he wrote.

Despite the controversy, R. Kelly is apparently still trying to release music imminently. Although he parted ways with his former label, Sony/RCA, he was still allowed to keep all of his unreleased music, which included a new album. He's still looking for a distributor but given his tarnished reputation, it might be difficult to have someone backing "the Pied Piper of R&B."


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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