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R. Kelly Biography
Review The Artist (71)
Source:
Urban R&B producer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter R. Kelly and his supporting band Public Announcement began recording in 1992 at the tail end of the new jack swing era, yet he was able to keep much of its sound alive while remaining commercially successful. While he created a smooth, professional mixture of hip-hop beats, soul-man crooning, and funk, the most distinctive element of Kelly's music is its explicit carnality. He was able to make songs like "Sex Me," "Bump n' Grind," "Your Body's Callin'," and "Feelin' on Yo Booty" into hits because his production was seductive enough to sell such blatant come-ons. As his crossover success broadened, Kelly also developed a flair for pop balladry that helped cement his status as one of the biggest-selling male artists of the '90s.
Kelly and Public Announcement released their debut album, Born Into the 90's, at the beginning of 1992. It was an instant R&B smash, while earning a fair amount of pop airplay; "Honey Love" and "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" were number one R&B hits, while "Dedicated" was his biggest pop hit at number 31. 12 Play, released in the fall of 1993, established Kelly as an R&B superstar, eventually selling over five million copies. The first single, "Sex Me, Pts. I & II," went gold, and the second, "Bump n' Grind," hit number one on both the pop and R&B charts in 1994; it stayed on top of the R&B charts for an astonishing 12 weeks, while logging four weeks at number one the pop charts. The follow-up, "Your Body's Callin'," was another gold single, peaking at number 13 pop. Also in 1994, he produced Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, the hit debut album for then 15-year-old Detroit R&B singer Aaliyah. Late in the year, it was revealed that Kelly and Aaliyah had wed in August and gotten an annulment shortly thereafter. The news sparked a small storm of controversy in the media, yet it didn't hurt the careers of either singer. Kelly next wrote and co-produced "You Are Not Alone," the second single from Michael Jackson's HIStory album, which was released in the summer of 1995. Later that year, Kelly released a self-titled album which became his first to top the pop charts. R. Kelly sold four million copies and produced three platinum singles -- "You Remind Me of Something," "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)," and "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" -- all of which hit number one R&B and reached the pop Top Ten.
Kelly truly consolidated his crossover success with the 1996 single "I Believe I Can Fly," which he recorded for the Michael Jordan movie Space Jam. Transcending Kelly's prior sexed-up image, the song reached number two on the pop charts and won Grammy Awards for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television. Kelly remained in the public eye in 1997 with another Top Ten soundtrack tune, Batman & Robin's "Gotham City." The ambitious two-disc R. followed in 1998, and even though it downplayed the explicit lover-man routine that had made him a star, it became Kelly's biggest-selling album yet, going platinum seven times over. Its first single, a duet with Celine Dion titled "I'm Your Angel," became Kelly's second number one pop hit with a six-week run on top. Even though subsequent singles "When a Woman's Fed Up" and "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" were more successful on the R&B charts, Kelly was well on his way to landing more Top 40 hits in the '90s than any other male solo artist, and notched another with his guest appearance on Puff Daddy's R&B chart-topper "Satisfy You." Moving his blockbuster success into a new decade, Kelly returned in 2000 with TP-2.com, which spent three weeks at number one on the album charts and scaled back the ambition of R. to return to familiar lyrical themes. He scored two more R&B number ones with "I Wish" and "Fiesta" (the latter featuring guest Jay-Z), and had further hits with "Feelin' on Yo Booty" and "The World's Greatest," the latter from the soundtrack of the Will Smith film Ali.
In the wake of "Fiesta," Kelly and Jay-Z teamed up to record an entire album together. The Best of Both Worlds was heavily hyped and even more heavily bootlegged, but problems of a much more serious nature arose in February 2002, when the Chicago Sun-Times reported that it had been given a videotape showing Kelly having sex with a 14-year-old girl. When the scandal broke, other reports surfaced that Kelly had settled a civil suit in 1998 involving a sexual relationship with a then-underage girl, and that he was in the process of settling another suit brought by an Epic Records intern making similar allegations. Copies of the tape in question were sold as bootlegs and on the Internet, and while there was some question as to whether the man was really Kelly, and whether the girl really was underage, Kelly's past history seemed to lend credence to the charge. Some radio stations dropped him from their play lists, and anti-Kelly protests were staged in Chicago. Meanwhile, The Best of Both Worlds entered the charts at number two, but sold disappointingly; some blamed the scandal, others the extensive pre-release bootlegging, although the generally unfavorable reviews suggested that the record's overall quality might also have been to blame.
Following the initial sex-tape scandal, Kelly was dogged by numerous civil suits, including one from a girl who alleged that during her relationship with Kelly (which occurred while she was underage), she had become pregnant and gotten an abortion at the singer's urging. A variety of other sex videos purporting to feature Kelly appeared as bootlegs, and a onetime Kelly protégée, a singer called Sparkle, stepped forward to identify the girl on the original tape as her then-14-year-old niece. In June, Chicago police officially charged Kelly with 21 counts of child pornography-related offenses, all related to the original tape. Kelly pleaded not guilty and released a new song, "Heaven, I Need a Hug," which got extensive airplay for a brief period.
Meanwhile, work on his next album, Loveland, stalled amid more heavy bootlegging. Kelly eventually scrapped some of the most pirated tracks, recorded some new songs, and reassembled the album as Chocolate Factory (which was slated to include a bonus disc with some of the deleted material). Released in advance of the album, lead single "Ignition" shot to number one on the R&B charts in late 2002. Chocolate Factory itself was released in early 2003, and followed in 2004 by Happy People/U Saved Me. Surprisingly, despite reports of a feud with Jay-Z, later in 2004 another album was released from The Best of Both Worlds sessions. Weeks before his child pornography trial the following year, TP.3 Reloaded was released, featuring the first five chapters of his soapy "Trapped in the Closet" saga. Double Up followed (in 2007).
Thanks to samuel nelson - sugbene@yahoo.com for submitting the biography. |
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Review about R. Kelly
storm is over | Reviewer: ABBY | 9/15/09
Kelly I really love these two songs of yours(STORM IS OVER AND YOU SAVED ME)But my question is why do you wait until you are in a situation before you come up with these songs?Better change up your mind for time is too short.
a answer left uncover | Reviewer: annette | 8/17/09
hey robert alot of time done pass im trying to keep it for no one cant get it and there hands i meet you 16 years old and never no one thing will end up like this one im not trying to get money or nothing i want my daughter to know u i use a email that no one can get it and hurt me or you this is not to hurt you i cant keep lying i want to be free
DAPSON | Reviewer: SHOLA | 7/24/09
JUST TO TELL YOU THAT YOUR MUSIC IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE MUSIC WORLD. I HAVE ALL YOUR ALBUMS AND AM STILL EXECPECTING MORE OF IT.KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO AND I KNOW GOD WILL FINALLY TAKE YOU TO YOUR FINAL DESTINATION
You are the real king of rnb - you know the r in it | Reviewer: rebecca | 7/1/09
You are blessed with a voice like that. You also know God to take it to him, may God bless you and everything of the best. I love "Merry Me" and "Dance with that woman" I have listen to you ever since your Bump and Grind days and still you are doing well.
misha icome as yournumbe onefan | Reviewer: dameish | 5/1/09
i take this as anho to write this about r.kelly thru my wholelife ive been listenin to his music lyric after lyric its such a blessing and talent to be able to write as many songs as he have you're considered a legend in my eyes i truly think god has a calling on your life thats y you tend to go thru so much he's tryna get your attention if i ever had a chance to talk 2 u i wouldnt do it just as a fan but i'll do it out of concern may god bless you and keep you on your journey watch the signs and be lifted up.
Imagine | Reviewer: Fame | 3/18/09
R. Sylvester Kelly,
You will not stop to marvel me. I am Fame by name from Nigeria and I consider you my role model among others which means others are good equally. Your songs and "you are not alone" that you wrote have always made me sit down to reason if you really know that people wish to have the type of talent you have not only your voice but the way you arrange words. You're another thing my man. I'm not of the opinion that you should sing only christian songs but your song, "storm is over and U saved me" shows really that your talent has alot to do with the grace of God. Well I consider "wyne for me" , "happy people", "step in the name of love" and "make it rain remix" as my best songs. Really I like seeing you perform but then you have never considered coming over to Nigeria and see that almost every body here wants a piece of you voice and dressing code..............
Keep it real G.
Fame.
My Robert . Kelly is........... | Reviewer: Jero Innocent | 3/7/09
well it may please me to say R.Kelly is my Legend and one of the best Soul Music provider .
My love to Music and of life ,i dedicate my cherishies to my brother R.kelly,One Love whish him More bether Future.
May God bless him and save him every falls,my prayer to him ;
wish to meet him and feel with him proberbly on stage that which sun rise.
From JD.Hill R.Kell Fan for life
robert kelly is the best alive! | Reviewer: tia mahon | 2/20/09
mr.kelly! i am INlove with you!
theres nothing i want more in life, but to get to shake your hand.
yours truely TIA BABY
ps. im going to be 19 in a year and 7 months AND IM ALL YOURS ..im all yours now but i'll be al yours legally. NOT that it matters cuz AGE Is JUS A NUMBER!! i love you
Gods mysterious creation yu ar.. | Reviewer: jerry thompson | 1/1/09
when is comes to music in life, nothing can ever be compares to r kelly and any one that is disputing this facts should be bold enough to counter it.ragga, blues, hip hop, gospel, rythym and gangster, tell me.... what else do you want to hear frm him. When the bible says the blessing of the lord maketh rich and add no sorrow.... you can conveniently refer that to the living legend ROBERT KELLY.
K, my dad once told me .... son, the more aspiration you head to, the more challenges life is. dont slack men.... keep moving...move on....move on .......move ok ah
You Saved Me | Reviewer: Sherrie | 10/9/08
Mr. Kelly,
As I sit here watching your video on "you saved me" I can't help but wonder; did you write those lyrics? Because if you did then you are running from God. It is time for you to seek His face because He has something pheunominal for you to do. That song is just a sample of what God has in store for you, but we must repent and stay on His path. THINK ABOUT IT!
GOD IS WAITING ON YOU!!!!!!!!
57 YEAR OLD BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN
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Review the Artist R. Kelly
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