Among the artists and other celebrities who have disavowed their work with infamous musician and alleged abuser R. Kelly is Beyoncé's father Mathew Knowles, who made it clear that when it comes to Destiny's Child, the girls were always kept under a watchful eye. After all, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett were teenagers when they worked with the rapper/producer.
In an interview with Metro, Knowles — who was also working as Destiny's Child's manager — addressed the time when the band recorded a song with Kelly for their debut album in 1998. The singer liked to record at midnight, said Knowles. Because of this, Knowles and his ex-wife Tina Knowles Lawson kept close guard of the girls, who were "15, 16" at the time.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"When they went to the bathroom, Tina would go with them," said Knowles. "They did not leave our eyes."
While none of the allegations of misconduct against R. Kelly had come to light at that time, there were rumors — Knowles noted that people "had just begun to hear some of those things." (Notably, Kelly allegedly married a 15-year-old Aaliyah in 1994.) The song never made it to the group's self-titled debut album, which went on to go platinum. Kelly did, however, co-write a Destiny's Child song called "Stimulate Me," from the soundtrack of the 1999 movie Life.
Kelly has been a focal point in the news ever since Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly docuseries highlighted the accusations of sexual misconduct against the R&B singer. The six-part series includes interviews with many women who have allegedly suffered sexual abuse at the hands Kelly. While the singer continues to deny these allegations, which date back to the '90s, celebrities like Chance The Rapper, John Legend, and Lady Gaga have denounced Kelly and his body of work.