NEWSR. Kelly's Daughter Buku Abi Claims the Rapper Sexually Abused Her as a Child: 'I Struggle With It a Lot'
R. Kelly's daughter Buku Abi claimed her father sexually abused her when she was a child.
Oct. 12 2024, Published 2:36 p.m. ET
R. Kelly's daughter has come forward with a shocking accusation.
During TVEI Streaming Network's new two-episode documentary Karma: A Daughter’s Journey, Buku Abi, 26, alleged her father, 57, had sexually abused her when she was a child.
R. Kelly's daughter Buku Abi came forward with a shocking allegation.
"He was my everything. For a long time, I didn’t even want to believe that it happened. I didn’t know that even if he was a bad person that he would do something to me," the famous offspring, whose mother is Drea Kelly, explained. “I was too scared to tell anybody. I was too scared to tell my mom."
Abi noted how she's pleased that the rapper is behind bars after being brought up on charges of child pornography and enticement of minors for s--. "I really feel like that one millisecond completely just changed my whole life and changed who I was as a person and changed the sparkle I had and the light I used to carry," she admitted.
R. Kelly's daughter Buku Abi claimed he abused her when she was young.
"After I told my mom, I didn’t go over there anymore; my brother [Robert] and sister [Jaah], we didn’t go over there anymore. And even up until now I struggle with it a lot," the musician added.
Abi claimed the abuse took place when she was 8 or 9 years old. "I just remember waking up to him touching me," she said through tears. "And I didn’t know what to do, so I just kind of laid there, and I pretended to be asleep."
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Buku Abi said she was 'too scared' to tell anyone of the abuse.
In 2010, Abi and her mom went to the authorities to file a complaint under "Jane Doe." However, she added, "They couldn’t prosecute him because I waited too long. So at that point in my life, I felt like I said something for nothing."
Kelly's attorneys fired back at the allegation in a statement which read, "Mr. Kelly vehemently denies these allegations. His ex-wife made the same allegation years ago, and it was investigated by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and was unfounded.... And the 'filmmakers,' whoever they are, did not reach out to Mr. Kelly or his team to even allow him to deny these hurtful claims."
R. Kelly will be eligible for release in 2045.
In 2022, the "I Believe I Can Fly" singer was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison on racketeering and s-- trafficking charges out of New York. In February 2023, he was sentenced in Chicago to 20 years for the other charges. Kelly is currently serving 19 years of his two sentences concurrently. He will be eligible for release in 2045.
