Opponents and fans of R. Kelly faced off outside the singer's Chicago recording studio on Saturday, as protesters rallied for a second time this week to amplify the growing #MuteRKelly movement, which has formed in the wake of Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly docuseries.
While protesters chalked messages on the sidewalk outside the studio and chanted "R. Kelly, your time is up!" and "Black girls matter!" two white cars flaunting signs that read "R. Kelly We [heart] U" arrived in front of the studio loudly playing the singer's music, according to a video from the Chicago Tribune.
People could be seen screaming through megaphones, chanting, "Mute R. Kelly! Mute R. Kelly!"
Protests were also held outside the studio on Wednesday this week.
A sign with "R. Kelly We ❤️ U" and a sidewalk full of #MuteRKelly: Protesters, supporters rally outside of R. Kelly's studio on Saturday morning https://t.co/mirLef2OWv
The protests came after Illinois officials denied a permit for an upcoming concert by the R&B singer because of security concerns.
The Spring Break Jam concert had been set for April at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, but Denise Albert, a spokesperson for the state's agriculture department, told the Chicago Tribune the permit had been denied.
“They had just submitted an application, and unfortunately we can’t control when an organizer begins promoting an event,” she told the newspaper.
BuzzFeed News contacted the department for comment, but Albert told the Tribune that the decision was not made due to publicity from the recent documentary.
Instead, she cited Wednesday's protests at the singer's studio.
Opposition to Kelly has been fierce since Lifetime aired the documentary that detailed the decades-long claims of sexual misconduct by the singer, including an allegation first reported by BuzzFeed News that he holds adult women in a cult.
The singer has denied all the allegations.
Cook County state's attorney, Kim Foxx, made a plea earlier this week for anyone in Illinois with information to come forward.
Foxx said that since the documentary aired, she had been in touch with two families in the Chicago area seeking to locate their loved ones, who she said were both over 18.
The Fulton County District Attorney's Office in Atlanta has been reaching out to people who appeared in the documentary.