Though R. Kelly has faced allegations of sexual misconduct and assault for the past 20 years, he has yet to face serious consequences. Most previous cases were settled out of court, and he was acquitted in 2008 of the only case that went to trial.

"You know, I stand firmly in the belief that we're only now hearing this because these were black girls, that he was not tried or successfully prosecuted in the past because these were young, black girls," said Jamilah Lemieux, a former senior editor at Ebony magazine who was interviewed in the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries.

"These were not black girls typically of means. These weren't celebrities with the exception of Aaliyah. These were regular, working-class girls from places like the south side of Chicago."

We don't know much about the victims listed in the indictment. Three were under the age of 17 at the time of the alleged assaults, with the fourth victim's age unspecified.

However, R. Kelly has been accused of preying on young, black girls in the past.