The AdCast Podcast 65 - Unmasking R. Kelly with Jim DeRogatis
Manage episode 336075833 series 3256513
Jim DeRogatis is the man who first received the infamous R. Kelly sex tape, breaking the story to the public. He was a music critic at the Chicago Sun-Times in 2000 when he received an anonymous fax tipping him off: Kelly, the tipster wrote, “had a problem with young girls.” DeRogatis investigated that tip and found that multiple lawsuits had been filed against Kelly accusing him of sexually abusing girls as young as 14. He published a story that reported his findings in late 2000 — and then he continued to publish follow-ups in the face of widespread public indifference, as Kelly’s career continued to flourish. DeRogatis soon became the person that people who knew things about Kelly sent tips to. Two videotapes that appeared to show Kelly having sex with young girls were sent to DeRogatis’s home in 2001 and 2002, and the second one became the centerpiece of Kelly’s 2008 child pornography trial.
Jim DeRogatis is an associate professor of instruction with the Department of English and Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago, and together with Greg Kot, he co-hosts Sound Opinions, the world’s only rock ’n’ roll talk show, an independent production heard on some 150 public radio stations nationally via PRX, as well as on podcast at soundopinions.org. He spent 15 years as the pop music critic at The Chicago Sun-Times, and continues to cover news and culture as a freelance writer, including via contributions to The New Yorker
He has now compiled the results of all his work — nearly 20 years of investigative journalism — into a book, titled: “Soulless: The Case against R. Kelly”, and it’s a damning indictment of not just Kelly but also the system that allowed him to survive and flourish for so long
In this episode, we discuss the timeline of R. Kelly’s sexual misconduct, how Jim became involved with the investigation, the backlash Jim received for investigating R. Kelly, the failure and corruption of the United States Court System, the immorality of music labels, the symbolism in R. Kelly’s music, the racial divide in Chicago, and the many other alleged child-predator celebrities who’ve managed to slip through the cracks
Read "Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly"
https://www.amazon.com/Soulless-Case-...
Connect w/ Jim DeRogatis:
Website: http://jimdero.com/
Radio Show: http://soundopinions.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimderogatis
Connect w/ Eric Elliott:
Website: https://ericelliott.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericelliottspeaker
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamericelliott/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericmelliott/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ericmelliott
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