Lady Gaga is reprinting ARTPOP without R. Kelly

“Do What U Want” will not appear on future editions of Gaga’s much-maligned LP.

October 15, 2019
Lady Gaga is reprinting <i>ARTPOP</i> without R. Kelly EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images

When it comes to Lady Gaga's third full-length album ARTPOP, everyone's got an opinion. In recent years, the general public favor has swung back around to the once maligned LP. Still, the album's liberated spirit has long been marred by the presence of R. Kelly on the song "Do What U Want." The track was released as a single back in 2013, and even almost got a regrettable Terry Richardson-directed video, which seemed to laugh in the face of the allegations against Kelly.

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Gaga has since apologized for the collaboration, writing, "I'm sorry, both for my poor judgement when I was young, and for not speaking out sooner." Earlier this year, she scrubbed the track from all digital streaming platforms. Now, she's taking it one step forward and removing the song from all future copies of ARTPOP. Preorder links from HMV reveal that a new reprint of ARTPOP is due out in November, and that the track list will not include "Do What U Want." The FADER has reached out to a spokesperson of Gaga for further comment.

There's still no word as to when Lady Gaga's going to release her hotly anticipated next studio album, but last year, she confirmed that she's pregnant with it, and earlier this month, she trolled fans saying that it will be named Adele. SOPHIE, Boys Noize, and BloodPop have each confirmed their involvement in the project.

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Lady Gaga is reprinting ARTPOP without R. Kelly