Verzuz / Apple Music
R. Kelly he was present during the Isley Brothers’ musical confrontation with Earth, Wind & Fire – or at least he was in the spirit, because the music of the unfortunate singer was part of the IB set.
Ron and Ernie Isley faced three EW&F members on Sunday night in a highly anticipated “Verzuz” battle – with none other than Steve Harvey hosting in an extravagant Easter costume.
Everything was going well, with each group taking turns playing some of their biggest hits. It was great … that is, until Ron and Ernie decided to start singing some of their last tracks from the 2000s, including some R. Kelly tracks that he produced / wrote or participated in, such as “Contagious” and “Busted.”
They played “Contagious” first … which many people watching from home were NOT happy with. Fortunately, the duo had the wisdom not to include R. Kelly’s featured verse, which is spread out at the end. Still, the guy wrote and produced wrote the whole thing.
Ditto for “Busted”, which didn’t bring R. Kelly’s vocals directly … but was also written and produced by the guy. The fans thought it was not looking good … for obvious reasons.
Remember, R. Kelly is currently in prison awaiting trial in several criminal charges – federal and state … that involve sexual assault, sex trafficking, child abuse, extortion, obstruction of justice and much more. He is pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Of course, he doesn’t have a lot of goodwill among music lovers, past or present – the only question … do the Isleys care ?? They looked quite comfortable with the Kels bands.