Why Is A Random R. Kelly Album Cut Leading One Of TikTok’s Latest Trends?
Photo Credit: Antonio Perez/Getty Images
As R. Kelly is currently on trial for federal charges of child pornography, a song of his has recently become the soundtrack to a disturbingly new trend on TikTok.
One of TikTok‘s latest trends happen to center around a song by disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly.
If you’re active on the social media platform, chances are you’ve come across the #legshakinchallenge (or #legshakechallenge), which finds users dancing to a track from the artist’s twelfth album Black Panties, album-opener “Legs Shakin.”
@stepitup84 When you grab your business partner to do this smooth dance with you @living_wellwithbell #legshaking#dancechallenge#melanin #viraldance ♬ Legs Shakin’ – R. Kelly
Currently, both hashtags are at 269,000 and 3.1 million views, respectively, while the song itself has been featured in almost 473,000 videos. Considering that the trend first began back in August, it’s likely to continue for some time. As some outlets like ThatGrapeJuice.net have noted, this has led to “Legs Shakin” appearing on sales charts like iTunes, with the track popping up in the top 10. A similar instance occurred following the airing of the Lifetime docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, where music streams for the artist increased by 116%.
This is happening as Kelly is currently on trial in Chicago for federal charges of child pornography. As ABC News recently reported, a conviction on just one or two of the charges the singer faces could add years to the 30-year sentence he’s already received for convictions on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
During the Chicago trial, the woman who appeared in the sex tape with Kelly at the center of his 2008 trial testified, sharing that the artist had sex with her often when she was a teen. The woman, who is known only by the pseudonym “Jane,” is now 37-years-old, and took the stand on Thursday (August 18) as a prosecution witness during the federal case.
About Author
