A decade or so ago, R. Kelly was a fairly well-respected R&B artist with a massive fan following. Now, he's sitting in a prison cell awaiting his sentence after a stunning yet, many say, completely justified, guilty verdict.
The formerly acclaimed artist was placed on suicide watch and seems to be dealing with some mental and personal challenges. Because not only does R. Kelly claim he's innocent, but he also has a family at home that's been impacted by his legal troubles.
When it comes to supporting that family (his kids are legal adults now, but Kelly owes back child support), let alone affording a legal team to help him in court, R. Kelly could really use some of those millions he once lost.
But does he have any hope of building back his net worth at this point?
Where Does R. Kelly's Net Worth Stand Now?
Most sources agree that R. Kelly is currently worth about negative two million dollars. That's not the whole story, though. Sure, Kelly owes a lot of people money, including his ex for child support for his children.
But it turns out he also owes a former landlord (who has also accused Kelly of crimes), and that is where his current Sony royalties funds go. Beyond owing a landlord, Kelly also has bills due to the IRS, plus legal fees for various other court cases prior to the current one.
Those amounts may total the negative $2M, but clearly, Kelly is also racking up more legal fees during the current court proceedings. His original legal team apparently ditched him, and no word on whether they even got paid beforehand.
With all this debt, then, does R. Kelly have any hope of redeeming himself financially?
R. Kelly's Sony Royalties Go To A Fund...
The fact that R. Kelly's Sony-specific royalties are already promised to an alleged victim/debtor doesn't mean that all of Kelly's potential royalties go there. While sources have confirmed that his family can't touch the funds because they've already been promised elsewhere, who's to say Kelly won't earn royalties in another way?
After all, plenty of artists are earning income from streaming royalties; it's kind of unlikely that Kelly's agreement would cover his entire library of hits would be covered by Sony, right?
While YouTube pulled R. Kelly's videos from a couple of channels (notably his Vevo and RKellyTV ones), fans are still resharing the content to skirt around the technical 'cancelation' of the artist. And many streaming services continue to offer his catalog, which has surprisingly led to a spike in music sales.
If all that cash is going to Sony, however, there's no hope of Kelly's team ever getting ahold of it. Unless, of course, the funds are enough to pay back his former landlord and accuser. At that point, it's possible the money would leak over into repaying his other debts, like child support and IRS fees.
Will R. Kelly Be Able To Make Money From Prison?
Interestingly, some fans of R. Kelly who loved him before the court case still love him now. For whatever reason, there are plenty of people who shirk the guilty verdict and stand up for R. Kelly. Not only that, but they'll continue to throw money at his music and his career.
That support could mean that there's interest in a narrative of R. Kelly's life and criminal case. Who knows, maybe he'll wind up with a memoir or video series about his life. That is, if the court doesn't restrict him from earning money related to the court case itself. Of course, there are plenty of ways Kelly could monetize his story in a way that doesn't overstep legal boundaries.
Though he's not as lucky as OJ Simpson, who continued adding to his net worth via a pension while in prison, Kelly could, in theory, find a way to start generating money from behind bars.
The only question, then, is at what point he might actually benefit from it.
How Long Is R. Kelly's Prison Sentence?
As of October 2021, a decision hadn't yet been reached as to R. Kelly's criminal sentence. With a guilty verdict in hand, the court now has to hear an appeal, as R. Kelly's team doesn't seem ready to admit defeat.
Kelly has already been in prison for two and a half years, sources say, and faces anywhere from ten years to life in prison. But that's just the sentence for one charge. Other charges involve three to seven years per count of abuse charges (there are ten), and that's not even all of it.
Beyond those sentences, Kelly's also facing more years tacked on for a federal case, plus a local state case. If he ever does make more money, who knows when R. Kelly would actually get to use it.
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