Copies of the purported 26-minute R. Kelly sex videotape sent anonymously to the offices of the Chicago Sun-Times last month have made their way on to the streets of New York City. The tape allegedly depicts Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Kelly and three separate women, one believed to be underage, participating in intercourse, fellatio, and urination. Street vendors throughout the five boroughs are selling the tape in VHS and DVD format. One vendor told New York’s Daily News, “It’s the hottest video in town. I sell about a dozen of them every day, but this is my last copy.” LAUNCH was able to obtain a copy on DVD for $10 on 125th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem.
Kelly is currently under investigation by the Illinois State Attorney’s office and Chicago Police Department for allegedly having sex with a girl under 17 and videotaping a sexual act with anyone under 18, both of which are felonies and prohibited by Illinois state statutes.
Chicago police spokesman Pat Camden was surprised to learn that the videotape was now commercially available in New York when informed by the Daily News, saying, “You gotta be kidding me. We have a copy of the tape and we are investigating it. So far, we have not identified anyone or made any arrests.”
Kelly and rapper Jay-Z are scheduled to release their new collaborative effort, The Best Of Both Worlds, next Tuesday (March 19).
