Amid an increasing number of sexual assault and misconduct allegations, R. Kelly continues to have all eyes across the nation fixed on him.

In the wake of being hit with an outpouring of criticism and subject to severe public scrutiny, he was also arrested due to failing to comply with making his court-ordered child support payments. Now that he has been released, the singer is still making an attempt to earn a living.

As reported, the disgraced R&B singer was booked for a recent club appearance at the Dirty South Lounge in Springfield, Illinois.

Ahead of the scheduled appearance, the singer hopped on Instagram to plead with the public, asking fans and the media to “take it easy” on him.

“This is how I got to get paid for right now,” he stated, pleading with fans to be mindful of what he’s going through. “So if you see me in the club, with a couple of drinks in my hand, and chilling, please, take it easy.”

According to reports, the 52-year-old appeared at the club on Saturday (April 6) as scheduled and took pictures with fans for roughly a half hour. He also grabbed the mic and sang for approximately 28 seconds.

Per local news stations WICS and WRSP, roughly 100 people were in attendance. The club, which has a capacity of 450, initially charged attendees $100 to get into the building for the celebrity appearance but lowered the price to $50 as the evening unfolded due to the low turnout.

Given the hefty ticket price, fans expressed their disappointment with reporters after the night had concluded, with many saying they were anticipating a more involved performance and others defending the artist.

It was not disclosed how much the embattled singer was paid to show up at the club.

As previously reported, Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse back in February 2019. He has pleaded not guilty and has adamantly denied any wrongdoing.

Take a look at some footage from R. Kelly’s latest club appearance, as well as see him plead with fans, below.