After deliberating for two days, a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted American R&B superstar R. Kelly on Monday of racketeering conspiracy and eight counts of sex trafficking.

The charges stemmed from accusations that the 54-year-old singer had an inappropriate relationship with minors and that his managers and assistants helped him meet girls and keep them “obedient and silent,” the Associated Press.

The conviction marks the culmination of the popular #MuteRKelly campaign, aimed at encouraging people to protest his music and performances after decades of accusations against him. It is also one of the most publicized condemnations of the #MeToo era, which has seen a number of personalities in entertainment, politics and elsewhere face the consequences of their abusive and destructive behavior.

“We hope this verdict will bring some sense of justice to the brave survivors who have come forward,” the Mute R Kelly group tweeted following the announcement of the verdict.

Here’s more on Kelly and what led to the conviction.

Who is R. Kelly?

Born Robert Sylvester Kelly in Chicago, R. Kelly is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer. He is perhaps best known for his most successful single, the hit I Believe I Can Fly from the 1996 Space Jam film soundtrack. The song won five 40th annual Grammy Award nominations and won Best Vocal Performance Male R&B, Best R&B Song and Best Song Written for Visual Media.

When did R. Kelly’s legal troubles begin?

They date back decades, but a Lifetime documentary in January 2019, Surviving R. Kelly, surfaced new testimony about his alleged predation of young black women and raised awareness of the accusations against the singer.

Kelly was acquitted in a child pornography case in 2008 and has settled numerous lawsuits. He still faces several other charges in Chicago, including allegations of sexual abuse and the fixing of his 2008 trial, the Chicago Tribune reported. He pleaded not guilty to these charges, as well as to solicitation charges in Minnesota.

How did R. Kelly and his team react to the verdict?

A Kelly wearing a mask remained motionless, eyes lowered, upon reading the verdict, reports the AP. The law firm representing Kelly did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Speaking to a crowd after the verdict, Kelly’s attorney Deveraux Cannick said: “I’m sure we’ll appeal.”

Speaking outside the courthouse, Gloria Allred, who represented several of Kelly’s accusers, referred to the time it took to get a conviction, saying: “We understand that justice is moving forward at a frigid pace, “The New York Times reported.

How did the accusations impact R. Kelly’s music?

The Kelly controversy has had a ripple effect on the music and streaming service industry. In 2018, when a wave of backlash against R. Kelly came to a head, Spotify embarked on a policy of hateful conduct. The music streaming service said it would remove songs or artists from its service or bury them without any promotion, such as banning them from playlists, on the basis of “hateful behavior”. Although R. Kelly was not the only trigger for the rule, his music was the most well-known that fell within the scope of politics.

But Spotify has faced criticism over the new policy. As the world’s largest subscription music service, some have called it in to potentially determine the success or failure of artists’ careers based on performance decisions made behind closed doors without an appeal process. And the rule has also been criticized for its apparent racial bias. Artists known to be affected by the new policy were black, while many white musical artists, some revered as icons, have faced allegations of violence or abuse in their past without any repercussions on Spotify.

Less than a month after announcing it, Spotify backtracked, saying it would continue to crack down on hate content itself, but move away from a policy regarding the conduct of artists.

When is the penalty?

The sentence is set for May 4, 2022. Kelly could be sentenced to 10 years in prison for life, according to NPR.

CNET reporter Joan E. Solsman contributed to this story.