by Barry Burch Jr.
His album is doing well and he even has a hit with Lady Gaga, but for some reason R. Kelly might still be going to jail for failing to pay his child support.
If the singer does in fact have to go behind bars, it could be for up to six months, according to the New York Post. Court documents reveal that should R. Kelly miss his court date, regarding an open child support case on March 27, he will be taken into custody.
Ex-wife of the singer of “Cookie,” Andrea Kelly, filed legal documents on Feb. 13. In the documents, she accuses R. Kelly of owing more than $20,000 in back child support. If you consider this to be a pretty penny, imagine the $100,000 he gave previously for outstanding payments, according to the paperwork. R. Kelly and Andrea have two children together.
A court date was missed by the singer back in November, which led to his now being on the verge of arrest. “The judge was clear in November that he wasn’t happy Kelly didn’t show up,” said a source. “His lawyer [James Quigley] is worried the judge could lock Kelly up if he doesn’t show this time, but he can’t reach his client.”
But roles may soon reverse between Quigley and the three-time Grammy winner, as R. Kelly has not paid his lawyer. He is reportedly hiding “in a bunker,” and is facing an almost insurmountable amount of debt, as reported by BET.
Though his bills are not quite settled, R. Kelly has managed to make one crucial adjustment. He hired new manager Devyne Stephens of Upfront Megatainment. ”There’s a line of people Kelly owes money to who worked really hard on his last album,” offered another insider. ”Who knows what Kelly and Devyne are doing, but burying your head in the sand isn’t the answer.”
R. Kelly’s twelfth studio album, Black Panties, has dropped with little post-promotion from the singer himself. Though the album debuted at No. 4 on Billboard‘s album charts, after a terrible Twitter Q&A and an updated report exposing his alleged sexual assault on a number of girls that were under age that initial success has come to an end.
Financial Juneteenth lessons from this story:
1) More money means more problems: The higher your income level, the easier it is to fall behind on taxes, child support and all the other financial trappings that come with an extravagant life. Also, a person with a higher income level is more willing to take on higher financial obligations, which can lead to trouble if there is an economic downturn in your life.
2) If you have serious financial problems, “burying your head in the sand” will only make them worse. Downgrade your lifestyle, communicate with your creditors and work things out. R. Kelly is going to have a difficult time getting these same people to work with him on future albums. It also appears that other elements of his past might be coming back to haunt him in a serious financial way. Kelly lost a lot of fans after numerous allegations have surfaced over the years regarding his intimate history with young women. His unwillingness to address these matters in public only adds to the suspicion being held by the public. No one is beyond reach.
Barry Burch Jr. is an award-winning writer and political scientist. His business, “Barry Writes,” provides biographies, speeches, press releases and so forth to individuals and businesses in need of potent and compelling literature. This article was first published on Financial Juneteenth.
