Valencia Love has confirmed she was the “friend” who posted R. Kelly’s $100,000 bail on Monday, just days after the singer was arrested on sexual abuse charges. The 47-year-old businesswoman defended her decision during an interview with Fox32 News’ Tia Ewing. Love told the reporter she believes Kelly is innocent, but would not say whether the $100,000 she paid was hers.“I’m not going to say it was my money or Kelly’s and he’s not broke,” the woman said, according to Ewing. “He’s my friend and I knew he needed help.”
Love claimed Kelly’s release was inevitable, as he had planned to post bond by Thursday.“He was going to get out regardless,” she said. “I just went out there to help my friend.”R. Kelly is a free man at least temporarily as he was able to come up with $100k bond before getting bail. The music icon was able to get bail after it was revealed that he would have to pay off a 6-figure child support. TMZ also revealed that Kelly’s $100k bond 10% of his $1 million bail was finally posted Monday, February 25, 2019, after he appeared in court and entered a not guilty to plea to all 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse.
When the R&B singer was released from jail Monday night, three days after being charged with criminal sexual abuse, he was greeted by fans shouting “Free Kells!,” according to the Chicago Tribune.The World’s Greatest singer walked by a large media contingent without speaking and was ushered into a black vehicle that was waiting. The vehicle then drove off.
The large, black van transporting Kelly from a jail in Chicago stopped in the parking lot of a large showcase McDonald’s in downtown Chicago.
The entertainer didn’t immediately emerge from the vehicle Monday evening, but some members of his entourage stood outside the vehicle and a dark-coloured Mercedes-Benz parked next to it.
According to the newspaper, several women sat on the hood of a car that was parked next to Kelly’s van. They were taking pictures and dancing after Kelly exited the fast food restaurant.“R. Kelly’s first stop after getting out of jail is the McDonald’s in River North,” tweeted Sun-Times reporter Nader Issa. “Fans are playing his music in the parking lot.”
Footage of Kelly’s Monday night McDonald’s jaunt showed him and his entourage ordering food and eating it in a booth. As they were leaving and Kelly was getting into a van, a female fan yelled, “I love you! I love you! I love you!” Kelly waved. His group later went to a cigar bar in the ritzy Gold Coast neighbourhood.
Meanwhile, Less than 24 hours to his release it was reported that there was another sex tape involving the music icon and a teenager, which according to a lawyer, was worse than the previously released tape.
According to TMZ, lawyer, Michael Avenatti will turn over a 55-minute VHS video on Monday, February 25, 2019, to Cook County prosecutors.
It was also revealed that the video shows R. Kelly having sex with the same 14-year-old girl depicted in the first video Avenatti obtained, which was shot in 1999. This second video was shot around 2000. Just like the previous video, there are multiple references to the girl being 14 years.
Kelly broke into the R&B scene in 1993 with his first solo album, 12 Play, which produced such popular sex-themed songs as Bump N’ Grind and Your Body’s Callin’.Months after those successes, the then-27-year-old Kelly faced allegations he married 15-year-old Aaliyah, the R&B star, who later died in a plane crash in the Bahamas. Kelly was the lead songwriter and producer of Aaliyah’s 1994 debut album. Both never confirmed the marriage, though Vibe magazine published a copy of the purported marriage licence. Court documents later obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times showed Aaliyah admitted lying about her age on the licence.
Jim DeRogatis, a longtime music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, played a key role in drawing the attention of law enforcement to Kelly. In 2002, he received the sex tape in the mail that was central to Kelly’s 2008 trial. He turned it over to prosecutors. In 2017, DeRogatis wrote a story for BuzzFeed about the allegations Kelly was holding women against their will in Georgia.
