Content Warning: This article discusses sexual assault, and rape. If you or someone you know are affected by the following story, you are not alone. To speak to someone, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732.

R. Kelly prefaced a recent club appearance in the US by asking the media to “take it easy on me” in light of his recent controversies.

Over the last few months, barely a day has gone by where R. Kelly’s name has been absent from the headlines. Following months of allegations of sexual and emotional abuse against the artist, it was recently revealed he had been formally charged with ten counts of criminal sex abuse.

Currently facing face up to 70 years in prison if convicted, these charges relate to Kelly’s sexual interactions with victims aged between 13 and 16, with the first records of his alleged abuse commencing in 1996.

Additionally, Kelly has also previously been hit with allegations that he is holding women against their will in an abusive “cult”, to the point where police raided his Chicago home to investigate the claim.

Despite this, the controversial artist has been attempting to continue with his pre-scheduled commitments. While his performances in Germany may have been cancelled, it appears that R. Kelly is still making paid appearances at clubs in his native Illinois.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the rapper shared a video requesting some leniency from the media before he took part in a pre-planned club appearance.

“Yo, this your boy Kells,” he began in the video. “I’ve got an event to do tonight in Springfield, Illinois so I want the media to take it easy on me, man.”

“This is how I gotta get paid for right now. So I gotta go do this event and it’s a party, so when you see me in the club, with a couple drinks in my hand and chilling, please, take it easy.”

While it’s not clear how much R. Kelly was paid for this performance, TMZ notes that approximately 50 people paid between $50 to $100 to see the disgraced artist.

According to those who were present at the club, Kelly gave a 28-second performance of his 1993 single ‘Bump n’ Grind’, before rubbing shoulders with those in the club for the next half hour.

TMZ also notes that the small number of attendees at the event may have been due in part to R. Kelly’s removal from the flyer that promoted the gig, with his name being dropped from advertising materials after his controversies came to light once again in December.

This incident comes just a month after R. Kelly publicly addressed all the allegations against him, speaking to Gayle King of CBS This Morning for an interview which has seen been viewed by fans and critics of the artist the world over.

“Stop it,” Kelly pleaded during the interview. “You all quit playing! Quit playing! I didn’t do this stuff! This is not me! I’m fighting for my fucking life!”