R. Kelly's list of of accusers just got longer.
Two women came forward with allegations of the singer's abuse in a BuzzFeed News report published Friday.
Kelly, whose full name is Robert Kelly, has been accused of sexually assaulting and abusing several teenage girls and women over the span of multiple decades. Lizzette Martinez and a woman identified only as Michelle detailed their experiences to BuzzFeed News, alleging that Kelly used coercion and physical abuse to keep a hold on the young women he dated.
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Martinez claims that Kelly physically abused her during a four-year relationship that began when she was 17 years old in the 1990s, when Kelly was 28. Michelle spoke of her daughter, identified as "N," who is allegedly being "brainwashed" to stay in Kelly's "cult." Michelle says that Kelly started dating "N" when she was 16, and that he won't let her contact her family anymore.
In a Friday statement to The Associated Press, Kelly denied the allegations, claiming that they were "perpetuated by the media" in an "attempt to distort my character."
The latest allegations come just days after the Time's Up movement began a campaign to "Mute R. Kelly." Advocates are pushing for industry leaders to cut ties with the R&B singer over his abuse allegations, and calling for people to boycott his music. In response to the demand for a criminal investigation, Kelly released a statement calling the campaign an "attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture." Read more at BuzzFeed News.
