Shock Value

Still, the perception that Kelly has been all but exonerated in the minds of fans is hard to shake. It's a state of affairs that baffles Jim DeRogatis, the Chicago Sun-Times journalist who broke the videotape story. DeRogatis has aggressively covered Kelly's purported penchant for dalliances with teenage girls over the years (dating back to Kelly's brief 1994 marriage to then-15-year-old singer Aaliyah). ''Why are people still buying R. Kelly's records?'' he wonders. ''I wish I knew. It seems clear that the only class of people less empowered than young African-American men is young African-American women.''

Some fans seem to believe that even if Kelly is guilty, it's no big deal. Kim Dulaney, a Chicago-based writer who penned the children's book ''I Can Fly: The R. Kelly Story'' and ''Star Struck,'' a roman a clef about a Kelly-like pop star, has known Kelly for more than a decade and counts him as a friend. She advances the disturbing notion that some supporters see the star's alleged sexual appetites as only ''a borderline violation. Some people actually believe it's him [on the videotape] and say, 'So what?' Men make all kinds of excuses: Well, maybe she was 14, but maybe she was fast, a hot mama, she's really built, maybe he didn't know, it's not like he was doing a 6-year-old.''

Not surprisingly, this attitude makes victims' rights groups apoplectic. ''There's a deeply held notion in our society that women of color, no matter how old or young, are loose, that they're just generally asking for it,'' says Andrea Smith, cofounder of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence. ''That attitude isn't just restricted to the black community -- it's pervasive. And people who can make those kinds of statements are just helping to perpetrate more violence against women.''

Of course, Kelly still has that pending court case to get past, and as Martha Stewart recently proved, a conviction can quickly sway public opinion. But some experts believe that's unlikely. ''I really don't think he will be convicted,'' says Susan Loggans, a Chicago attorney who has represented several women who have filed suits against Kelly over the years. ''A crime where most of the witnesses aren't anxious to testify doesn't generally carry a lot of weight in the criminal system. And if he does go to jail -- well, we've had other [musical artists] who've done jail time, and it kind of adds validity to their music. I don't think it's going to hurt him one way or another.''