If anything, the charges against him appeared to embolden Kelly to test how far he could push his sexually explicit material. This was comic-book sexuality, so over the top it verged on a joke. In 2005-06, with the implausible, 22-part video “Trapped in the Closet,” he turned his reputation for outlandish sexual escapades into an absurdist soap opera. Skeptical listeners might’ve heard a disingenuous pose, but more than 3 million buyers made the double-CD one of Kelly’s biggest commercial successes. The exception was his 2004 release, “Happy People"/"U Saved Me,” split between ebullient up-tempo tracks and gospel songs in the tradition of “I Believe I Can Fly.” He even broke into sobs as he addressed God, echoing his onstage confession with Franklin seven years earlier: “After I’ve been so bad, how did you manage to love me?”
This pattern continued on subsequent albums, with Kelly becoming even bolder in his sexual come-ons, with occasional attacks on his critics. “In the midst of this fame my life is like a buffet: Quick to drink, quick to smoke, quick to fornicate,” he fessed up on “Apologies of a Thug.” “Anything you want, you just come to daddy,” Kelly purred in the album’s opening seconds. On the rest of the album, the disconnect between Kelly’s lyrics and his sordid legal troubles verged on the preposterous. 2 on the R&B charts and sold 1 million copies. The first single, “Ignition,” strung together transparent sexual metaphors (“Let me stick my key in your ignition, babe”), and it rose to No. A 2002 album, “Loveland,” was scrapped and a joint album with hip-hop kingpin Jay-Z, “The Best of Both Worlds,” flopped.īut his 2003 release, “Chocolate Factory,” sold 2 million copies and flaunted Kelly’s reputation as a sex freak. When the child-pornography charges were pressed, Kelly’s career briefly stalled. A fourth reached an out-of-court settlement with the singer. At least three women filed lawsuits stating they had sex with him before turning 17. Civil proceedings followed over the years. Though the singer didn’t mention it at the time, he was dogged by rumors of improper sexual activities. I’ve come to find out that whatever it is you want, it’s in the Lord.” Every day I seem to be falling in love with the Lord. “Some may think it’s a gimmick, but I tell you, here stands a broken man. Some of Kelly’s explicit ballads brimmed with dark undercurrents, and the conflict between sexuality and spirituality was central to his 1998 album, “R.” He wrestled with personal demons on tracks such as “When a Woman’s Fed Up” and “Suicide.”ĭuring a Chicago concert by gospel singer Kirk Franklin in 1997, Kelly strolled onstage and obliquely addressed some of his private turmoil: “It amazes me when I look back eight months ago - cars, women, money, the media.
R KELLY LOVELAND ALBUM MOVIE
His self-empowerment ballad “I Believe I Can Fly,” featured in the Michael Jordan movie “Space Jam,” crossed him over to a huge mainstream audience. He helped launch the career of R&B singer Aaliyah (he also married the then-15-year-old in secrecy, only to have the marriage annulled soon after) and collaborated with Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Kirk Franklin and Sean “Diddy” Combs, among others. Kelly’s 1993 album, “12 Play,” sold 8 million copies, and soon he was among pop’s most successful quadruple-threat artists: singer, songwriter, producer and performer. In every one of James Bond’s movies he had a fine girl. “If you go to a movie and there’s no sex scene, it’s not a good movie. “It’s no secret sex sells,” Kelly told the Chicago Tribune in a 1994 interview. He was signed to a record deal based on a performance at a backyard barbecue, and he was an instant success with a style that combined hip-hop’s thuggish street pose with R&B 's pleading vocals in a way that appealed to millions of young listeners.
R KELLY LOVELAND ALBUM PORTABLE
While in his teens, he brought a portable keyboard to elevated train stops and sang for tips. Robert Kelly grew up on the South Side of Chicago. I can’t really think of anybody in these kinds of scandals. He just kept his head down and kept doing his work. Alan Light, former editor of Vibe and Spin magazines, said Kelly’s work ethic has served to insulate him from a debilitating career slide.
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