R Kelly

R Kelly

Biography

R. Kelly (born Robert Sylvester Kelly, 8.1.1967)
R. Kelly is an American R&B performer who rose to fame in the 1990s but whose reputation has been marred by allegations of having sex with a minor, among other charges.

Childhood: R. Kelly was born in Chicago, Illinois. The third of four children, he was raised in a single-parent household. His mother died of cancer in 1993.

An Introduction to Music: Encouraged by a music teacher's comments regarding his talent, R. Kelly began playing keyboard at bus stations and street corners. Finally, he formed a band with a friend, Marc McWilliams. The group, MGM, released their debut single, 'Why You Wanna Play With Me?' on Tavdash Records in 1989.

MGM changed their name to Public Announcement and were signed to Jive Records in 1991. Their debut album Born Into the '90s was released in 1992. Billed as R. Kelly & the Public Announcement, the album spawned hits such as 'She's Got That Vibe' and 'Dedicated'. In 1993, Kelly left the group to concentrate on solo work.

Solo Career: R. Kelly's debut solo album was released in 1993. 12 Play's lead single, 'Bump N' Grind' was Kelly's first number one single.

Kelly started to find working producing a number of upcoming R&B stars, such as Aaliyah and Changing Faces. He remixed Janet Jackson's 'Any Time, Any Place' in 1994 and worked on 'You Are Not Alone' for Michael Jackson. However, it was determined that he had plagiarized the melody for the song from its original 1993 composition, by a long-standing songwriting duo Eddy and Danny Vas Passel.

Kelly's second album R.Kelly continued his popularity, releasing the singles 'You Remind Me of Something' and 'Down Low', which was a duet with The Isley Brothers. The basketball player and star of the film Space Jam, Michael Jordan, asked Kelly to record a song for the film. The result was 'I Believe I Can Fly', one of his most successful releases. The single reached number two in the US and number one in the UK. The following album, R, sold over eight million copies and featured a duet with Celine Dion, entitled 'I'm Your Angel'.

Kelly's next album, released in 2000, was TP-2.com. The album included a collaboration with Jay-Z, 'Fiesta'. Another collaboration between the pair, 'Guilty 'Til Proven Innocent' was released on Jay-Z's Dynasty album. They worked together again on an album and promotional tour entitled The Best of Both Worlds.

The release of Tp-2.com's follow up was beset by problems when many of the tracks were bootlegged. Kelly re-worked the album, originally entitled Loveland and re-named it Chocolate Factory. The album was another commercial success and sold over three million copies.

Kelly's next long-playing release was the two-disc album Happy People / U Saved Me, which hit the stores in 2004. Later that year, Kelly and Jay-Z were reunited and their Unfinished Business album was a number one hit in the US.

Kelly's next solo album, TP-3: Reloaded was released in 2005. The biggest hit from the album was 'Trapped In The Closet', a five-part mini opera that Kelly has stated was inspired by Desperate Housewives. Kelly has since written and recorded over twenty sections of the song, all of which have been released on DVD.

In May 2007, R. Kelly released Double Up, though the album was leaked on the internet over a week before its official release. Double Up included a duet between Kelly and Usher as well as 'Rock Star', which featured Ludacris and Kid Rock.

Personal Life: It has been reported that R. Kelly entered into a marriage with the R&B star Aaliyah when she was only 15 years old. Both singers have dismissed the rumours.

R. Kelly has three children with Andrea Lee, a dancer. The pair married in 1996 but are said to be arranging a divorce.

In 2002, the Chicago Sun-Times broke a story claiming that they had been sent a tape showing R. Kelly engaging in sexual activity with a 14 year-old girl. Both parties deny being the people shown in the video. In June 2002, R. Kelly was indicted for soliciting a minor for child pornography. The trial is ongoing and no verdict has yet been reached.



Biography by Contactmusic.com

Mathew Knowles Wades Into The R. Kelly Controversy


Mathew Knowles Beyonce Knowles Kelly Rowland R Kelly

Beyoncé's father and Destiny's Child manager, Mathew Knowles, has revealed the girls 'did not leave our eyes' when they were around controversial singer R. Kelly. In the wake of new scrutiny about the 1990s star following a recent Lifetime documentary, Knowles has also revealed he passed on a collaboration with the group at the Bump N' Grind singer.

Mathew KnowlesMathew Knowles managed his daughter's band, Destiny's Child

Speaking to metro.co.uk, the 67-year-old said when Destiny's Child first met with Kelly, they were around 15 and 16-years-old.

Continue reading: Mathew Knowles Wades Into The R. Kelly Controversy

Lady Gaga Apologises For R. Kelly Collaboration


Lady GaGa R Kelly

Lady GaGa has issued a statement condemning the increasingly disgraced singer R. Kelly, publicly regretting her collaboration with him years ago and vowing to have the song in question removed from streaming services.

R&B singeR Kelly is currently the subject of a new documentary series ‘Surviving R. Kelly’, detailing numerous allegations dating back two decades that he sexually abused and otherwise coerced several women and underage girls. He has consistently denied the accusations.

Lady Gaga, who duetted with Kelly on the 2013 ARTPOP single ‘Do What U Want’, has come under criticism in recent days after the producer of ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ claimed that she had turned down the opportunity to be interviewed for the series.

Continue reading: Lady Gaga Apologises For R. Kelly Collaboration

Aaliyah's Mother Slams Claims R. Kelly Had Sex With Singer


R Kelly

The mother of the late R&B singer Aaliyah has come forward to slam claims made in the controversial new docu-series ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ that her daughter had sex with Kelly when she was underage.

In one of the episodes of Lifetime’s upcoming documentary series, Aaliyah’s former back-up singer Jovante Cunningham alleges that she witnessed the singer having sex with Kelly, whose history of allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct, including kidnapping them and brainwashing them for a sex cult, are put under the microscope in the series.

However, Aaliyah’s mother, Diane Haughton, released a statement on Twitter this week to fiercely deny the totality of Cunningham’s claims.

Continue reading: Aaliyah's Mother Slams Claims R. Kelly Had Sex With Singer

Public Screening Of 'Surviving R. Kelly' Docu-Series Cancelled After Gun Threat


R Kelly

A public screening of the upcoming docu-series ‘Surviving R. Kelly’ in New York City was cancelled last night, after the venue received an anonymous threat of gun violence over the event.

The six-part Lifetime documentary series, concerning the stories of survivors of alleged abuse at the hands of R&B singer R. Kelly and featuring more than 50 interviewees, was called off and evacuated after “anonymous threats” were made by a caller to the NeueHouse Madison Square venue on Tuesday night (December 4th).

A male caller from Chicago reportedly said that an audience member in the theatre was in possession of a gun and would shoot if the documentary was shown, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

Continue reading: Public Screening Of 'Surviving R. Kelly' Docu-Series Cancelled After Gun Threat

R Kelly Says Social Media Campaign Is "Too Late" To Stop Him


R Kelly

R&B star R Kelly has been filmed boasting to a room of people that it’s “too late” for his musical legacy and impact to be destroyed, apparently mocking the much-publicised #MuteRKelly social media campaign that has sprung up in the wake of the ongoing sexual abuse allegations that have dogged him over the years.

A video, whose existence was originally reported by The Grio, was posted to Facebook around a week ago. In it, the singer is seen telling a crowd of people that the social media campaign, which was launched into fresh allegations of underage sex and that he trapped several women in a “sex cult” over many years, wouldn’t affect him.

“I'm handcuffed by my destiny,” Kelly says, clutching a cigar. “They should've did this f****** 30 years ago. It's too late. The music has been injected into the world.”

Continue reading: R Kelly Says Social Media Campaign Is "Too Late" To Stop Him

R Kelly's Music Will Be Removed From Spotify Playlists


R Kelly

Spotify has announced that it will no longer be featuring R Kelly’s music on its curated playlists, as part of a shake-up of the streaming service’s policy on hate content and hateful conduct.

On Thursday (May 10th), the streaming giant revealed that it would no longer be promoting the controversial R&B singer’s tracks in its editorial or algorithmically generated playlists. The move comes in the wake of continued multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the 51 year old, who has consistently denied any wrong-doing.

At the same time, the #MuteRKelly social media campaign has grown in strength over recent weeks, which is lobbying for Kelly’s music to stop being played and for his concerts to be cancelled. The Time’s Up movement has also called for proper scrutiny of “the allegations of R Kelly's abuse made by women and their families for more than two decades.”

Continue reading: R Kelly's Music Will Be Removed From Spotify Playlists

The Truth About R. Kelly's 'Sexual Misconduct' Explored In New Documentary


R Kelly

More than twenty years after R. Kelly was first accused of sexual misconduct, yet more allegations have surfaced as the #MeToo crackdown on aggressive sexual behaviour within Hollywood and celebrity culture continues. The singer's life and many scandals are explored in a brand new documentary.

R. Kelly at the Soul Train Music AwardsR. Kelly at the Soul Train Music Awards

In a BBC Three documentary entitled 'R Kelly: Sex, Girls and Videotapes', his former girlfriend Kitti Jones claims that she was abused by him and others between 2011 and 2013 in a 'sex dungeon' on more than ten separate occasions. She says that she wasn't the only victim, and believes many were underage including a 14-year-old he was 'training [to be one of his] pets'.

Continue reading: The Truth About R. Kelly's 'Sexual Misconduct' Explored In New Documentary

R. Kelly 'Disturbed' By Dramatic Claims He's Running A Sex Abuse Cult


R Kelly

In the wake of a series of sensational claims made against R. Kelly, accusing him of being the mastermind behind an abusive 'cult' of women, the singer has vehemently denied all allegations. Indeed, any hard evidence of such activities is yet to be uncovered.

R. Kelly at Soul Train Music AwardsR. Kelly at Soul Train Music Awards

Accusations of sexual abuse is hardly a new thing in R. Kelly's world, having in the past been tried and acquitted for child pornography and sexual activity with a minor, but a new report takes that to a whole new level - essentially suggesting that he is holding a group of girls hostage as sex slaves and controlling their every move.

Continue reading: R. Kelly 'Disturbed' By Dramatic Claims He's Running A Sex Abuse Cult

R Kelly - R Kelly performs live in concert during his 'The Buffet Tour' at American Airlines Arena at American Airlines Arena - Miami, Florida, United States - Saturday 28th May 2016

R Kelly

R Kelly Claims He Was Sexually Assaulted As A Child By A Female Relative


R Kelly

Rap and R&B star R Kelly has claimed in a new interview that he was sexually abused as a child by a female relative.

However, speaking in the latest issue of GQ magazine, he revealed that he had forgiven the relative in question, arguing that their actions could easily have been down to abuse they themselves had suffered, describing this behaviour as a “generational curse”.

“I, well, definitely forgive them,” he said. “As I’m older, I look at it and I know that it had to be not just about me and them, but them and somebody older than them when they were younger. I looked at it as if there was a sort of like, I don’t know, a generational curse, so to speak, going down through the family.”

Continue reading: R Kelly Claims He Was Sexually Assaulted As A Child By A Female Relative

From Quentin Tarantino To Charlie Sheen: 9 Of The Most Awkward Interviews In TV History


Quentin Tarantino Charlie Sheen R Kelly

Sometimes it's not all that easy to be a superstar and have to sit through hours of promo for long periods of time, and sometimes it's not all that easy to get these celebrities to open up. Questions are sometimes inflammatory, arising in some angry parties and a lot of entertainment on YouTube the next day. Quentin Tarantino is often the subject of extremely uncomfortable interview sessions and it's no different with 'The Hateful Eight', but here's some of the most awkward interviews from TV history.

Quentin TarantinoRemember Tarantino's painful Channel 4 interview?

Quentin Tarantino: 'I'm shutting your butt down!'
We might as well start with Tarantino, however. When controversial Channel 4 reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked him to speak about violence in his 2013 movie 'Django Unchained', he wasn't having any of it. It was a touchy subject that he'd talked about many times before, so it was no wonder he didn't want to repeat himself. Guru-Murthy is also known to have irked a number of other celebrities including Robert Downey Jr..

Continue reading: From Quentin Tarantino To Charlie Sheen: 9 Of The Most Awkward Interviews In TV History

R. Kelly - 2015 Soul Train Music Awards held at Orleans Arena - Show - Las Vegas, Nevada, United States - Saturday 7th November 2015

R. Kelly

SkyII Carter - R. Kelly performs live at James L. Knight Center, with special guest Skyii Carter - Miami, FL, United States - Thursday 17th October 2013

R. Kelly and Skyii Carter
R Kelly
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