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R. Kelly Dropped From Ohio Festival After Protests

Backash from fans, bands and vendors forces promoters to cut ties with the R&B singer.

R. Kelly's past is still haunting him. The Black Panties singer was slated to perform at the Fashion Meets Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio, over the Labor Day weekend, but has been dropped from the lineup due to protests stemming from past allegations of sexual misconduct.

Concert promoters reacted to the swarm of social media complaints calling for them to pull the Grammy-winning singer from the three-day festival. They announced their decision via Twitter on Monday.

"FMMF and R. Kelly have decided to part ways. Thank you for your support, we look forward to seeing you next month."

Kelly’s publicist released a statement soon after the news went public. "R. Kelly is sorry to disappoint his fans but looks forward to seeing them in the near future during one of his upcoming tours."

The controversial R&B crooner was pegged to headline the festival and perform on Aug. 29, opening day. Kelly's presence at the event did not sit well with some bands and vendors, who began to pull out from the festival due the singer's scandalous legal issues.

Kellz made headlines in 2002 when he was charged with 21 counts of making child pornography. A jury ultimately found him not guilty of the crimes in 2008, but he has been unable to escape the incident.

The singer seemingly responded to the "hate" with an Instagram post on Wednesday (July 30) featuring an image of his song "Shut Up."

"Well I'm here to tell you today boy you #Haters are so #SLOW And it saddens me to know Some of ya'll want me to go away," Kellz wrote in a lengthy message. "Well when it's time for me to go My #GOD is gonna orchestrate it all Until then I will ACCEPT the #Stones."

The show will go on without the "Cookie" singer, as the remaining acts include former Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams.

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(Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

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