CLAIM: Twitter user shared images of R. Kelly performing in prison, suggesting he is selling out shows in the prison yard.
VERDICT: FALSE. The images posted with this narrative have been enhanced using Artificial Intelligence.
Full Text
Apart from the fact that AIs render optimisation and speed to graphic creators, it provides them with rich tools capable of helping them to edit images to their satisfaction.
A Twitter user, Daniel Marven (@danielmarven), shared some images of convicted Rhythm and Blues (R&B) singer Robert Kelly, popularly known as R. Kelly, performing in prison with a caption that suggests the artist is selling out shows in jail.
“Bruh what?? Is R. Kelly really packing out shows in lockup??,” his caption reads.
As of Tuesday, May 9, 2023, the tweet had gathered over 6,213 retweets, 2,082 quotes, 57 likes and 1,431 bookmarks.
The tweet stirred up mixed reactions in the comment section. While some marvelled at the ability of the convicted R&B singer to excel in the prison yard, others dismissed the images of the concert as digitally generated.
Musa Modisakeng (@ModisakengMusa) believed the images and even questioned why the R&B singer was permitted to wear a gold chain in prison.
“Wearing gold chains in prison? Surely he gets allowed to go out occasionally,” he wrote.
Dr S U N R I S E (@sheabutterhun), on the contrary, said the images are AI-generated.
“You can easily tell that these are AI-generated,” she commented.
Due to the controversy created by the tweet, DUBAWA decided to examine the originality of the images.
R. Kelly’s three-decade sentence and incarceration
Before R. Kelly’s infamous trial in a Brooklyn federal court, which bagged him a 30-year sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking, he was one of the best-selling R&B artists in the 1990s and early 20s.
In 2021, Mr Kelly was tried on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking and was convicted on all counts. In June 2022, the R&B singer was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment. In February 2023, he was also sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for child pornography and enticement.
He was ordered to serve all but one simultaneously with his previously convicted 30-year jail term.
Verification
A keyword search about a prison concert by R. Kelly on Google showed no results. There was also no report about it from any credible media outlet.
Observing the images, Mr Kelly is bedecked with odd rows of gold chains. Prisoners can only wear two kinds of jewellery – a wedding band and a religious necklace. The jewellery must be plain and not have sharp engravings to prevent prisoners from harming other inmates.
Also, Mr Kelly’s recreated form is spruced in a costly orange leather jacket similar to what artists usually wear for performances. Prisoners in the United States are only allowed to wear khaki pants and button shirts. They are also given winter jackets, among other clothing articles. However, an orange leather jacket isn’t one of those.
In the second picture shared, showing the audience in a supposed hall, we noticed vehicles parked at the rear left, giving the impression of a parking lot. That environment looks nothing like the interior of a proper prison facility which is usually not an open space where anyone can park).
Additionally, a careful view of the crowd reveals that not all the individuals in the picture face one direction. Some seem to be crowded in portions.
Finally, in one of the images, a black woman stands in the hallway just as Mr Kelly makes his way out.
Mr Kelly was recently transferred to a federal correctional institution in Butner, North Carolina. The facility only houses male offenders. That begs the question, “What is a woman doing in a correctional institution meant for males?”
Further checks using an AI image detector, Hugging Face, revealed that the images were digitally enhanced at different levels. The first image has 36% human property and 64% artificial property. The second image has 44% human property and 56% artificial property. The third image has 46% human property and 54% artificial property. The fourth is 37% human property and 66% artificial property.
Conclusion
Our findings show that the image is not original. Analysis of the images shows they have been highly enhanced with the help of Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, discrepancies abound between the details of the images and the context they are set in.
