Erykah Badu attempts to clarify her comments after sending a “prayer” to R. Kelly
Image Courtesy of Marc BaptisteErykah Badu found herself in the hot seat over the weekend after she appeared to defend R. Kelly during a recent concert in Chicago.
Saturday night, while on stage at the Aragon Ballroom, the veteran singer took a brief pause during her set to address the controversy surrounding Kelly following the airing of Lifetime’s explosive docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly.
In fan-captured footage, Badu is seen telling the crowd that she’s “putting up a prayer right now for [R. Kelly].”
“I hope he sees the light of the day, if he’s done all those things that we’ve seen on TV,” she added.
Her message, however, fell flat with the audience, which reacted by both cheering and booing.
She continued by saying, “But y’all say ‘f*** it!’ See, that’s not love. That’s not unconditional.”
“But what if one of the people that was assaulted by R. Kelly grows up to be an offender, we gonna crucify them?” she added. “I mean how do we do this? Just something to think about.”
As Badu’s statements began to circulate online, the Internet requested that she take a seat. In the wake of the backlash, the “On and On” singer offered clarification via social media.
“I love you. Unconditionally. That doesn’t mean I support your poor choices,” she tweeted, seemingly addressing Kelly.
“I want healing for you and anyone you have hurt as a result of you being hurt. Is that strange to you? That’s all I’ve ever said. Anything else has been fabricated or taken out of context.”
Despite her attempt to clarify her comments, Badu has previously backed R. Kelly in the past. In 2015, she introduced the singer at the Soul Train Awards, where she remarked he had “done more for black people than anyone.”
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