R. Kelly’s Lawyer Says ‘I Admit It’ Album Was Unauthorized
R. Kelly’s lawyer says that the imprisoned singer did not authorize the album uploaded to streaming services on Friday (December 9).
In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, Jennifer Bonjean called the project, titled I Admit It, “an unauthorized release of music,” adding that it was “stolen.”
The album is no longer available after it was taken down by platforms like Spotify and Apple Music just hours after its release.
Bonjean says that “a police report was filed some time ago because his masters were stolen, but there’s not much of an appetite to investigate these things. People have had access to his intellectual property rights that they are attempting to profit off of, but unfortunately, that does not include Mr. Kelly.”
“When he was arrested, he had studio equipment that was taken,” she added. “His masters are missing. The music is somewhere out there, but who has it and who has profited off it — we don’t know entirely.”
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The 13-track album featured a 19-minute cut titled “I Admit It,” which R. Kelly released in 2018 on SoundCloud. The new version was broken up into three parts to close the project, as he sings about the sexual abuse claims against him.
Bonjean said she spoke to Kelly on Friday about the release. She also noted that unauthorized music has previously found its way onto the internet, but it’s usually been via YouTube and not Spotify and Apple Music.
“He kind of is like, ‘Yeah, this has been going on. I’m not surprised,'” Bonjean said of Kelly’s response. “But, of course, it’s upsetting. It’s very upsetting to see your body of work out there in that way.”
