R. Kelly

Performer, songwriter, and producer. R. Kelly just about does a li’l of everything. Growing up in the housing projects on Chicago’s Southside, Kelly overcame the peer, gang and other negative pressures of his surroundings with a strong determination never to settle for any l’s (loses) in his life.

He describes his first taste of performing for people, “Well, it started out as me and my boys just messing around performing on the streets. Then, one of the fellows dropped a hat while I was playing this keyboard and people started putting money in it. That became our thing. I simply made a regular job out of it.”

Kelly broke into the music biz hard with his 1991 platinum-plus debut album Born into the 90’s which featured the smash hits “She’s Got That Vibe”, “Honey Love” and “Slow Dance.” Two years later, Kelly returned with his quadruple-platinum smash second album 12 Play. The disc solidified R. Kelly as a true pop and R&B superstar and featured two gold singles in “Sex Me (Part 1 & 2) and “Your Body’s Callin’” plus the platinum smash “Bump N’ Grind” . The song became the longest running #1 Billboard R&B single in 30 years, breaking the record previously held by Whitney Houston.

He’s travelled the globe extensively, co-headlining last year’s Very Necessary 12 Play Tour with Salt-N-Pepa, as well as headlining The Budweiser Superfest. Kelly has also sold out two consecutive nights at London’s Wembley Arena as well as venues in Birmingham, Manchester, and Amsterdam. The sensual singer’s concerts clearly show (mostly female) fans in a frenzy. “Since I entered this business three years ago, I’ve been busy every single day it seems,” he remarks.

After writing and producing platinum platters for Aaliyah, Changing Faces, and Michael Jackson no less, Kelly’s back heating things up once again with his third offering, simply titled R. Kelly. But don’t let the album title fool you, nothing that Kelly does musically can be described as simple. For this time around, he came correct with the unique soul flavor fans have come to expect in addition to some treats. “Only Want To Be Happy” features The Notorious B.I.G. and “Keep It On The Down Low” is a special jam that features the legendary Isley Brothers. In addition, the debut single “You Remind Me” is enjoying a long run on top of the charts.

Expect Kelly to hit your town real soon on his upcoming world tour and rest assured you won’t see nuthin’ wrong with a little more R. Kelly.