R. Kelly claims the parents of his "girlfriends" have "sold" their daughters to him.
R. Kelly
The 'I Believe I Can Fly' hitmaker lives with both Azriel Clary, 21, and Joycelyn Savage, 23, and though their families have accused him of brainwashing them and holding them against their will, he insisted that wasn't the case.
Interviewed by Gayle King for CBS News, she asked "What kind of love is it that keeps these young women away from their families?"
He replied: "I'm going answer your question -- what kind of father, what kind of mother would sell their daughter to a man?
"How come it was okay for me to see them until they wasn't getting no money from me?
"Why would you take your daughter -- if I were going to take my daughter and she's 19 years old to a 49-year-old icon whatever, celebrity, R. Kelly concert, whoever it is, I'm not going to put her on the stage and leave her.
"I'm going to take her to the concert.
"Their father is more into my music and knew about my music than they do."
Asked if the parents handed their daughters over to him, he replied: "Absolutely. Are the cameras still going? Absolutely."
The disgraced star - who was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse by Cook County's State Attorney last month, following allegations made by a host of women in the documentary series 'Surviving R. Kelly' - denied having sex with underage girls and insisted he never worries about the age gap between himself and his partners, just so long as they are "legal".
He said: "I don't look at much younger than me, I just look at legal. I just look at you're you and I am me.
"Now I don't know if you're married, I don't know one might be older than the other, one might be younger than the other. I just look at legal, OK.
"There are older men who like younger women and older women who like younger men.
"I am an older man who loves all women."
And the 'Ignition' singer insisted all his accusers and their families are lying and blamed the "power" of social media for destroying his reputation.
He said: "They're lying on me...You can start a rumor about a guy like me or a celebrity just like that.
"All you have to do is press a button on your phone and say, 'So and so did this to me. R Kelly did this to me.'
"If you get any traction from that, if you are able to write a book from that, if you can get a reality show then any girl that I had a relationship with in the past that it just didn't work out, she can come and say the same exact thing.
"I'm talking about the power of social media."
At one point during the interview, the singer embarked on a monologue where he stood up, screamed and had to be restrained.
He ranted: "Quit playing, I didn't do this stuff.
"This is not me. I'm fighting for my f*****g life! Y'all killing me with this s**t! I've given you 30 years of my f****g career! 30 years of my career! Y'all trying to kill me! You're killing me man!
"This is not about music! I'm trying to have a relationship with my kids and I can't do it! Y'all just don't want to believe the truth . Y'all don't want to believe it."
The interviewer remained seated and encouraged her controversial guest to sit down, and he then continued his rant.
He added: "This is not true! It doesn't even make sense! Why would I hold all these women! Their mothers and fathers told me, "We're going to destroy your career."
"There's real girls out there missing, there's real young girls out there being abducted, being raped, OK. They really are on chains. They really do have chains on their wrists.
"And they can't get out and they ending up buried."
Gayle then said she wouldn't allow Kelly to "rant into the camera".
He replied: "I came here for them to hear me talk! I need help. I need somebody to help me not have such a big heart. Because my heart is so big people betray me and I keep forgiving em."
After being accused of "playing the victim" by the presenter, he cried and said: "I'm just telling the truth! And the reason I'm emotional is because this is the first time I was able to say something. I have said nothing!"
Later in the week, the network will air an interview with Azriel and Joycelyn and a teaser clip saw the younger woman scream at Gayle as she defended Kelly.
She said: "I am crying because you guys don't know the truth and you guys believe in some f*****g facade that our parents are saying for money.
"If you can't see that then you're ignorant and you're stupid!"
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