Four years ago, Lifetime released a docuseries titled Surviving R. Kelly, which centered around the stories of women who had been sexually abused by the RnB hitmaker.
Up until its release, Kelly's career had been marred by allegations of the assault and abuse of underage girls. However, he remained a popular name in the music industry - appearing to survive each allegation and even being acquitted of 21 counts of child pornography in 2008.
Variety reported that the musician's accusers claimed that he'd kept them as "sex slaves" and locked them in his home without any access to their family and friends, or even the outside world.
Additionally, Kelly was accused of grooming "young women and men who had aspirations to become singers, and record them as he forced them into sexual acts."
His 2022 trial - which eventually led to the singer being sentenced to 30 years in prison - delved into these distressing allegations, investigating how he utilized his employees to lure young aspiring singers into sexually exploitative situations.
It was during this six-week trial that the existence of a non-disclosure agreement between R. Kelly and Aaliyah's parents was brought to light, however, it didn't receive much media coverage at the time.
Two more episodes in the series were released on Tuesday (January 3) and focused on the then-27-year-old's marriage to 15-year-old pop sensation Aaliyah. The pair had secretly married in August 1994, with the marriage certificate incorrectly listing Aaliyah's age as 18. Six months later in February 1995, however, her parents allegedly had the marriage annulled.
Sadly, in 2001 Aaliyah and nine others died in a plane accident in the Bahamas after the overloaded aircraft she was in crashed shortly after takeoff, per The New York Times. She was just 22 years old.
Billboard detailed that the latest Surviving R. Kelly episodes included interviews from both R. Kelly's and Aaliyah's entourage, and even elaborated on the bombshell allegation that Aaliyah's parents were bound by a non-disclosure agreement following the termination of her marriage.
It was allegedly created after Aaliyah's father became irate at the marriage, and was insistent that it be annulled.
The outlet reported that former bodyguard Gem Pratt had spoken in-depth to the team behind the docuseries, telling them that the songstress' family had signed an agreement that prohibited them from speaking out and pressing charges about the illegal marriage in return for the rights to R. Kelly's first three albums.
"Her dad [Michael Haughton] didn't want her anywhere near him," Pratt stated of the 'Try Again' singer's relationship with R. Kelly. According to Chicago journalist Jim DeRogatis (who initially broke the news of the non-disclosure agreement), it was a more than an agreement surrounding the illegal marriage.
"[It was a] harrowing document… A non-disclosure agreement on both her part and Kelly's, vowing not to pursue further legal claims for physical abuse. So, it wasn't just an underage sexual relationship, he hit her, allegedly, according to that court document."
The latest Surviving R. Kelly episodes further touch upon the abuse accusations made by Ebonié Doyle, who alleged that the 'I Believe I Can Fly' singer raped her just days after his marriage to Aaliyah. She also claims she was pushed down a flight of stairs upon discovering a sex tape he had reportedly made with Aaliyah.