SOHH NYC

There was some conversation that arose in regards to Friday's post on Hot 97's Funk Flex airing out R. Kelly.

Number one, I didn't notice the first time, but during his vlog rant, Flex didn't mention R. Kelly's name once. Instead, he replaced his name with "you," "dude," and other things of that nature. It's likely that in order to keep the radio station clear of any direct controversy from the artist's party, the leads at the station asked that Flex not mention Kellz's name. Fair enough. Even though we all know Flex was talking about him.

Interesting enough is that underneath Flex's Youtube vlog that is posted on the HOT97 website, there is a link that reads "PROTECT YOUR KIDS! LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!" This link leads to the extended blog entry, which starts off with "Help Pass Senate Bill 1738--The PROTECT Our Children Act."

This is sentence is followed by:

Hundreds of thousands of children are victims of sexual abuse each year. Due to the sheer lack of resources, law enforcement is unable to follow up on the majority of leads they have.

The PROTECT Our Children Act will:

Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.

Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.

Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.

Act Now!

Your U.S. senators will be voting on the bill soon, so it is crucial you contact them immediately.

Go to www.senate.gov to find contact information for the senators in your state. Search for your senator by name or state by clicking on the arrow from either dropdown menu. Contact information is provided here. To send an e-mail, click on "Web Form" below his or her name, and e-mail your letter to make a difference!

WOW. This sure came from out of left field. And that's just a piece of it. They even have a letter you can copy and paste (or use however you see fit) to send to your senator. They've listed all the major warning signs that says your child might be the target of an online pedophile. They've provided a list on what to look out for to prevent online predators, and what to do when or if your child has been contacted by an e-perv.

So what's the occasion? The R. Kelly sex tape is years old, and the trial had been postponed year after year-- for about six years, give or take. So why did they wait until Kelly was acquitted of all charges before they took it to this level? Why now? Isn't it a little too late? The only thing I can think of is that this is a protest against Kelly's being a free man. But even that is old news. Must've been something in the way Kellz was presenting himself in that interview that got Flex peeved.

And who are these "other DJs" and "other people" who are supposedly in agreement with Flex's outrage?

Well since we're on the subject...

This is the challenge: you went all out on your site about pedophiles. The company who owns Hot -- presumably Clear Channel -- allowed this. If the feeling of opposition is so potent, then why not blacklist R. Kelly from the radio stations, and other Clear Channel radio stations as well? ...

I doubt that will happen. But if they can ban low-profile rapper (and now actor) Gravy from Hot 97 for getting shot in the butt-- even after he went in the studio and did an interview-- then they can ban a major artist that they've clearly labeled a sickened pedophile on their website. But because Kellz gets spins and requests, that doesn't look likely.