Singer R Kelly has denied abuse allegations in his first interview since he was charged in connection with alleged abuse of four women.
Three of the women were under 17 at the time of the alleged incidents.
He is due in court again later this month.
In a tense interview, the R&B star has told CBS This Morning he "didn't do this stuff."
He’s a Grammy winning artist, now indicted for sexual assault. @GayleKing's interview with @RKelly -- only on @CBS Wednesday at 7 a.m. pic.twitter.com/LoDPaVZ3pS
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) March 6, 2019
He told interviewer Gayle King: "Forget the blogs, forget how you feel about me. Hate me if you want to, love me if you want. But just use your common sense.
"How stupid would it be for me, with my crazy past and what I've been through - oh right now I just think I need to be a monster and hold girls against their will, chain them up in my basement, and don't let them eat, don't let them out, unless they need some shoes down the street from their uncle!"
He added: "This is not me! I'm fighting for my f***ing life!"
Charges
Last month, R Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.
The charges command sentences of between three and seven years per count - meaning the singer could face up to 70 years in prison if convicted.
Nine of the counts give the victim’s age as between 13 and 16-years-old.
The alleged abuse happened between September 26th 1998 and February 18th 2003.
The 52-year-old has faced allegations of abuse over two decades, and in 2008 was acquitted on 14 counts of child pornography.
Fresh claims, contained in the documentary Surviving R Kelly, have led to protests across the US as well as the online #MuteRKelly call to boycott his music.
