YouTube removes R Kelly channels after singer’s sex trafficking conviction

YouTube has removed two of R Kelly‘s channels following the singer’s conviction on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. The 54-year-old was found guilty of all nine counts by a federal jury in New York last month, following years of allegations that he had used his status to sexually abuse women and children. YouTube said its decision to take down RKellyTV and RKellyVevo was “in accordance with our creator responsibility guidelines.”

Also read: A timeline of the allegations that led to R Kelly’s conviction

While the singer won’t be able to create any new channels, his music will still be available on YouTube Music, BBC reports.

Kelly’s music videos posted by other YouTube users will also not be affected.

YouTube previously took similar action in the case of USA gymnastics coach Larry Nassar, who was jailed for molesting hundreds of young gymnasts.

Also Read: R Kelly kept a gun while sexually abusing me: Accuser during trial

The MuteRKelly campaign has called on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and other major platforms to follow YouTube’s move.

The grassroots campaign co-founded by Oronike Odeleye and Kenyette Tisha Barnes, worked to stop Kelly’s music from being played on the radio or via streaming services, according to NBC News.

“Kelly’s music is said to have largely vanished from the radio, and songs that were once mainstays of graduation ceremonies, weddings and backyard parties have faded.”

YouTube‘s decision is “the beginning of the seismic paradigm shift of R. Kelly’s legacy,” Barnes was quoted as saying. “It was his music that allowed him to buy himself out of accountability. … It is my hope that other platforms follow suit and Mute R. Kelly.”

Still, Kelly’s 1990s- and 2000s-era hits manage to attract nearly 5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, according to information on his page on the music-streaming platform.

A group of fans played Kelly’s music outside the New York courthouse, with one shouting, “We’re not giving up on R Kelly!”