Oronike Odeleye


Oronike Odeleye is an American arts consultant and activist based in Atlanta, Georgia. She is best known as the co-creator of the #MuteRKelly movement.

Life and career

Odeleye was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Her father, an African-American sculptor, spent time in Nigeria after completing college and selected her first name from a list bestowed upon him by a Nigerian elder. She received her bachelor's degree in film studies from Syracuse University. Odeleye is an Atlanta-based arts and entertainment consultant.
In 2017, after allegations that singer R. Kelly was maintaining a sex cult involving young black women, Odeleye created a petition to ban Kelly's music from Atlanta radio stations. Soon after, Kenyette Tisha Barnes reached out to Odeleye to invite her to collaborate on the creation of a grassroots digital campaign to boycott his music, which became #MuteRKelly. Odeleye also appeared in the 2019 documentary series Surviving R. Kelly to discuss the campaign.

Accolades