Sunday night’s Verzuz battle, which saw The Isley Brothers pitted against Earth, Wind, and Fire, was certainly one to remember. The groups are two of the most notable and accomplished ones in R&B and soul, and many of their iconic songs were perfectly stacked up against one another. The internet usually explodes with reactions to every Verzuz battle, but last night’s reactions were a bit different due to the fact that The Isley Brothers played some songs that were written and produced by R. Kelly.
Disgraced singer R. Kelly is a longtime collaborator of The Isley Brothers, and he is currently spending time in a Chicago jail while awaiting his trial on sex trafficking and abuse crimes spanning both NYC and the Chi. R. Kelly’s trial in New York is currently scheduled for August 9th, and he will face his second trial in Chicago about a month later on multiple counts of sexual abuse.
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On Sunday night, when The Isley Brothers played “Contagious” during the Verzuz battle, which was written, produced by, and featuring R. Kelly, people had quite a bit to say. Many were confused that The Isley Brothers chose to play the songs, which they could have simply omitted.
Others made jokes about R. Kelly, who is currently sitting in a jail cell.
Some also noted that if R. Kelly were to be included in a Verzuz battle, they weren’t sure if he could be matched.