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| | Issue #21.25 :: 06/18/2008 - 06/24/2008 | R. Kelly Thanks Jesus
Plus: Download Live Pearl Jam
| BY PATRICK WALL
| The following two words will forever define R. Kelly: Not. Guilty. Kelly’s child pornography trial came to a close June 13, when the jury acquitted the R&B megastar after a seven-and-a-half hour deliberation. Kelly’s attorney reportedly overheard him chanting, “Thank you, Jesus,” as the verdict rolled in.
If by some random happenstance you don’t know why Kells was in a Cook County courthouse, here’s a brief summation: A video tape surfaced in 2002, one that allegedly shows Kelly engaged in sex acts with a young girl, allegedly Kelly’s then-13-year-old goddaughter. (All together now: Gross.) Kelly was indicted in June of 2002 on 21 counts of having sexual intercourse with a minor and producing child pornography (seven of which were later dropped); after making headline news (and one hilarious Chappelle’s Show sketch) for years, the case finally went to trial early in May. And for those of you somehow not familiar with the way the judicial system works in this country, The Playlist reminds you that the burden of proof is on the state; something the jury remembered, citing inefficient evidence to convict Kelly; simply, jurors were unconvinced that the girl in the video was underage.
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| R. Kelly |
“[A]t some point we said there was a lack of evidence,” one juror told the Chicago Tribune. “There was nothing concrete enough to say it was him or her on that tape.”
Officially a free man, Kelly plans to release his 14th album, 12 Play: Fourth Quarter, in July. The Playlist can’t help but think that, despite the not-guilty verdict, Kelly’s reputation is irreparably tarnished; then again, as we surmised in the Dec. 26, 2007, edition of Free Times, Kelly’s creepy, incorrigible-weirdo sex pervert image hasn’t hurt his album sales before.
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So, that Pearl Jam concert at the Colonial Center was pretty awesome, yeah? Don’t you wish you could listen to it at home and in your car over and over and over again? Well, consumer, Eddie Vedder and crew hear and obey: Pearl Jam, ever on the forefront of the bootleg market, is releasing live bootlegs of each show of its current tour, including the one you, Pearl Jam fan, just went to. Digital downloads of full Pearl Jam shows will be available for download two weeks after each concert — making the deadline to download the one you just went to Monday, June 30 — in MP3 format for $9.99 per show and super-deluxe FLAC format for $14.99 per show. Even better, each format is high-fidelity and DRM-free. Cool, non? But wait, there’s more! In addition to digital bootlegs, you can also get a made-to-order hard-copy bootleg — one that uses recycled material, of course — for $16.99 per show. But maybe you don’t want to deal with that whole “tangible music” thing. Perhaps you just want one of the cuts for a ringtone on your mobile phone. Well, Pearl Jam is providing three stand-out tracks per concert mixed in real-time and released via Verizon Wireless’ V CAST Music service. One full-length track is available as a free mobile bootleg download, with two additional tracks available for purchase. All three tracks will also be available for purchase as ringtones and ringback tones. The deadline for those, though, is June 30. Visit pearljam.com for downloads and more information.
The Playlist is a discussion of life, the universe and everything — but mostly music. Let us know what you think: Email music@free-times.com. | |
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