If you keep up with music news at all (or just general gossip, I suppose), I’m sure you’ve heard about R. Kelly’s infamous “rape cult” at this point. The scandalous investigation was first reported at Buzzfeed News. It sounds too bizarre and out of control to be something that has been going on for over a decade, but it appears to be true.
For those of you looking for a quick overview, Buzzfeed summarizes the issue simply: “Six women live in properties rented by Kelly in Chicago and the Atlanta suburbs, and he controls every aspect of their lives: dictating what they eat, how they dress, when they bathe, when they sleep, and how they engage in sexual encounters that he records.”
In the midst of the fallout and media frenzy though, a hero has emerged: Boss Babes ATX. Boss Babes ATX is a non-profit collective and event series. They “promote and connect self-identifying women in creative industry and the arts.” SIGN. ME. UP.
They’ve got something to say about the entire R. Kelly situation, although apparently it was initially unrelated to the breaking news from Buzzfeed. According to myStatesman, Boss Babes founder Jane Claire Hervey’s New Year’s resolution this year was to get people to stop booking R. Kelly. To that end, she was planning to release the website stopbookingrkelly.com as a means of women empowerment and to stop turning a blind eye to sexual assault, which she did, initially unaware of the breaking news. The website offers an alternative R&B artist weekly to booking R. Kelly.
Hervey explains her reasoning for Boss Babes’ launch of the website as a means of condemning sexual assault but also as a vocal point for women in the music industry. “When bookers turn a blind eye to artists like R. Kelly (or claim that it shouldn’t matter because of his celebrity, talent and profitability), that sends a strong message to women in the industry—and a negative one.”
I’m all about women standing up for themselves and empowering each other in day-to-day life and in their professional realm. Particularly in the music industry, where we are unfortunately significantly underrepresented.
Want to support Boss Babes ATX? Be sure to check out BABE FEST this weekend, which features (as you may have guessed) female headliners.
Go out tonight, and any night. Jukely is a concert subscription that gives members guestlist access to hundreds of music events – for one price. Whenever you want to go out, you’ll always have something to do. Learn more and sign up at jukely.com.
