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R. Kelly

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Born 08 January 1967.

Photo of R. Kelly R. Kelly

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News from the BBC

  1. Singer R Kelly seeks unpaid fees

    Tue 7 Oct 2008 09:56

    Singer R Kelly wins an award of $3.4m (£1.9m) from his former tour promoter over...

Biography

Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), best known by the stage name R. Kelly, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and record producer. Debuting in 1992 with the group Public Announcement, Kelly went solo in 1993 for a successful solo career starting with the album, 12 Play. Kelly is known for a collection of hit singles including "Bump n' Grind", "I Believe I Can Fly", "Gotham City", "Ignition", "If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time", "The World's Greatest", and the hip-hop era "Trapped in the Closet".

Kelly has also produced and performed in many tracks by other R&B and hip-hop artists. In 1994, Kelly produced and wrote the debut album of R&B singer Aaliyah and in 1995, Kelly co-produced and wrote the song "You Are Not Alone" for Michael Jackson, which was included on Jackson's album, HIStory. Kelly has sung the hooks for many notable hip-hop songs, such as "Fuckin' You Tonight" by The Notorious B.I.G., "We Thuggin'" by Fat Joe, "Gigolo" by Nick Cannon, and "Go Getta" by Young Jeezy, and has collaborated for two albums with Jay-Z.

In his personal life, Kelly has had several sex scandals. Reports surfaced that he married the then-teenaged Aaliyah, for whom he was a songwriter. Kelly and Aaliyah anulled their marriage. After a video of a man purported to be him having sex with an underage girl was released, Kelly was indicted on several counts of child pornography in 2002. After several delays, his case went to trial in 2008, with the jury ruling Kelly not guilty on all 14 counts.

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BBC Reviews Really Simple Syndication

  1. Happy People/You Saved Me 2004

    Happy People / U Saved Me (disc 1: Happy People)

    Reviewed by Andrew McGregor

    Happy People treads a dangerous line between being likeable soul and copying classics...
  2. Chocolate Factory 2003

    Chocolate Factory

    Reviewed by Andrew McGregor

    Despite the most suspect of titles, R Kelly appears to have pulled off one of the most...

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