The release of "I Admit" followed a 2017BuzzFeed News investigative report that alleged that Kelly operated a "sex cult", and a2018 boycott of Kelly backed byTime's Up. The lyrics rebukeJim DeRogatis for hisBuzzFeed News report, and disavow the report's allegations that Kelly is in charge of a "sex cult". "I Admit" was Kelly's final release before his 31-year incarceration atFCI Butner Medium I.
Critics reviewed "I Admit" unfavorably. Some reviewers contrasted the title with the lack of criminal admissions in the lyrics, and described the song as an act oftrolling. The song was compared to Kelly'srap operaTrapped in the Closet andO. J. Simpson's bookIf I Did It, which addressed Simpson’s allegations ofmurder. Reviewers noted that Kelly's lyrics more closely resemble aself-defense than an admission ormea culpa.[9][10][11] The release of "I Admit" led to a response from DeRogatis, who defended his journalism in two interviews. R. Kelly's ex-wife,Andrea Kelly, and brother, Carey "Killa" Kelly, individually released songs in response to "I Admit" that contain additional allegations against R. Kelly. The song also attracted criticism onsocial media.
In July 2017,Jim DeRogatis contributed an article toBuzzFeed News detailing legal investigations from three families regarding their daughters' allegedkidnappings after they established relationships with Kelly. The article characterized Kelly's operations as a "cult", and included interviews with three of Kelly's former associates.[13] However, both Kelly[14] and the daughters[15] refuted the claims.
"I Admit" was released on theSoundCloud account of Julius Darrington, CEO of the AudioDreamrecord label, on July 23, 2018.[3][24]RCA Records, Kelly's former label at the time, did not confirm whether they were associated with the song.[24] Kelly promoted the release with a post, "Today is the day you've been waiting for", acrossFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram.[25][26][27]
After the January 2019 broadcast ofSurviving R. Kelly, Kelly appeared in aCBS This Morning interview on March 8, 2019, in whichGayle King asked him whether "I Admit" was his "way ofconfessing". Kelly responded, "That question makes no sense, no offense, but what I'm saying is this: 'I Admit' was me expressing my feelings about the things I was going through. If you're listening to it, you can hear exactly what I'm admitting."[28][29]
A sample of "I Admit" containing the "I admit it, I did it"chorus and the first four lines of the seventh verse, in which Kelly questions the definitions of the termscult andsex slave[30]
In response to theMute R. Kelly campaign who sought to see him convicted of sexual abuse and end financial support for his career.,[3] Kelly sings, "onlyGod can mute me".[8] Kelly expresses support for a "women's group",[6][39] but also exclaims that "theytryna lock me up like Bill", referring toBill Cosby, who at the time was awaitingincarceration after his April 2018sexual assault convictions.[11][41][42] Kelly finishes the song by telling the audience to "stay the fuck out of my business",[31] and inviting his birthplace ofChicago to use his image as inspiration for city youth.[6][43]
Several reviewers characterized "I Admit" as an act oftrolling, since the name of the song overstates the magnitude of the admissions contained within the lyrics.[6][44][45] Elyse Wanshel ofHuffPost noted similarities between this song andIf I Did It,[46] a book byO. J. Simpson that contains a hypothetical description of the alleged murder inSimpson's murder case.[47] Writing forThe Daily Beast, Stereo Williams described the song as "20 minutes of defensive rambling and R. Kellynailing himself to a cross". Williams asserted that Kelly "paints himself as the victim: the victim of the media, of sycophants, of his childhood abuser, of his own illiteracy" while "baiting his critics with a number of shockingly brazen lyrical references to his behavior".[45]
In a review forThe Atlantic, Hannah Giorgis compared the song's structure to Kelly'srap operaTrapped in the Closet, and remarked, "The specter of harmful actions is softened by the harmonies of the lullaby." Giorgis described Kelly's delivery as "a stomach-churning mix ofself-pity andhubris" and criticized Kelly for refusing to address the alleged victims directly. She noted that "at no point does he speak to—rather thanat orabout—the women who have come forward" and wrote, "none of the women who have recounted tales of Kelly's abuse is worthy of being the hero in this story. Kelly, and Kelly alone, occupies that mantle."[12]
Ann-Derrick Gaillot ofThe Outline considered "I Admit" a "bad song" and "a 20-minute long plea to save his dying career", and stated that the release of the song demonstrated that Kelly was "no longer invincible".[43] InRolling Stone, Michael Arcenaux lambasted Kelly for attempting to "invoke his owntrauma to excuse thegrief he is alleged to have caused in so many women and girls".[11]Broadly's Leila Ettachfini labeled the song as "a bizarre attempt to garner somesympathy from the public in hopes that it could somehow absolve Kelly for his alleged crimes against women and girls", but remarked that "the song doesn't seem to be achieving Kelly's desired effect".[36]
Kelly's ex-wife, dancer and choreographerAndrea Kelly (pictured), shared lyrics to "Admit It", herremix of "I Admit".
In interviews withVariety andBillboard, DeRogatis denied that his reporting of Kelly's allegations had been a significant factor in his own career growth. DeRogatis defended his continued coverage of Kelly by disclosing that he still received calls fromsources. He said, "You're not a journalist or a human being if you get those calls and do not do your job." Regarding thesong's composition, DeRogatis saw "I Admit" as a continuation of Kelly's 10-minuteremix of "I Believe I Can Fly" from his unreleased album,Loveland, in which Kelly sings a plea toSaint Peter at the gates ofheaven.[48][49][50]
Andrea Kelly, R. Kelly's ex-wife, shared lyrics to her remix titled "Admit It" on Instagram on July 24, 2018.[51][52] In her remix, Andrea alleges that R. Kellyphysically abused her andneglected their children.[53] In response to a lyric on "I Admit" where R. Kelly describes his relationship with his deceased mother, Joanne Kelly, Andrea sings that Joanne would disapprove of his actions.[54] Andrea also accuses R. Kelly of being a "dead beat dad" and urges him to obtain "professional help".[55]
R. Kelly's brother, Carey "Killa" Kelly, released adiss track named "I Confess" onYouTube on August 3, 2018.[56][57] Replying to R. Kelly's claim on "I Admit" that Carey abandoned him, Carey echoes an April 2018sexual misconduct allegation in which a woman accused R. Kelly ofintentionally giving her asexually transmitted infection, mainlygenital herpes.[58][59] In "I Confess", Carey also implies that R. Kellyhad sex with other men;[57][60][61] two "John Does" would later testify against Kelly in a federalNew York City criminal trial, which charged him with sex trafficking and racketeering, in late-August 2021, confirming this allegation, but stating that hegroomed and abused them.[62][63][64]
Black Twitter responded negatively to "I Admit", with many users expressing disgust at the song's lyrical content.[65] The song was poorly received by other artists;Talib Kweli remarked that Kelly's "lack ofself awareness is atrocious"[66] andQuestlove tweeted, "#IAdmit I want my 19 mins back".[67][68] The co-founder of the Mute R. Kelly social media campaign,Oronike Odeleye, called the song a "19-minutesex trafficking fundraising anthem" and interpreted its release as an indicator of Mute R. Kelly's success. In an interview with theAssociated Press, Odeleye reaffirmed the campaign's efforts to eliminate Kelly's remaining concert dates.[69]
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network spokeswoman Jodi Omear criticized the song's lyrics and stated, "Laws aren't opinions".[8] An attorney representing the family of Joycelyn Savage, one of the daughters mentioned in DeRogatis'sBuzzFeed News article, rebuked Kelly for trying to "shift the narrative" and demanded Savage's release.[70][71]
Kelly was convicted of nine criminal counts, includingracketeering (involvingsexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping,bribery, and sex trafficking) and violations of theMann Act, on September 28, 2021.[72] A few fans of Kelly played "I Admit" beside the courthouse shortly after the judgment was issued.[73]
In December 2022 abootleg album also titled "I Admit" containing the song and a number ofunreleased, previously leaked, and previously released songs appeared on music streaming services such asSpotify andApple Music though was later quickly removed by the streaming services. An Attorney for R Kelly and a representative of Sony Music (who was R Kelly previous label under RCA records until 2019 and owns much of his music catalog) later denied involvement in the album.[74][75] The copyright line of the album notably stated it was from “Legacy Recordings,” which is the name of Sony Music’s catalog division. HoweverVariety noted that it did not also bear a Sony Music Entertainment copyright like official legacy recording releases. A source close to the album also stated that the bootleg was released by the Los Angeles-based label Real Talk Entertainment and was distributed byIngrooves. Ingrooves later ended its relationship with Real Talk following the release of the album.[76]
