R. Kelly is a popular musician, singer, producer. He received recognition as an artist in the style of rhythm and blues. Whatever the owner of three Grammy awards takes, everything becomes super successful - creativity, producing, writing hits. The private life of a musician is the complete opposite of his creative activity. The artist has repeatedly found himself at the center of sexual scandals.
R. Kelly's childhood and youth
Robert Sylvester (real name of the artist) comes from colorful Chicago. Even the birth of the idol of millions - January 8, 1967. He was brought up in a large family.
The upbringing of four children fell on the fragile shoulders of the mother of Robert Sylvester. The father who abandoned the family did not appear in R Kelly's life. The woman instilled in her children a love of music. She was a Baptist. The children attended church, and Robert even sang in the church choir.
When Sylvester was only 11, he was abused by an adult woman. Most likely, this situation caused the guy psychological trauma, which resulted in the perception of the world.
In mature interviews, he will recall one more moment. As a teenager, he fell in love with a neighbor named Lulu. The children spent a lot of time together. They vowed never to leave each other. Lulu for Robert was the ideal of beauty.
Once Lulu was involved in a fight with other children. Careless movement led to the fact that the girl was pushed into the water. The current carried away her body, and some time later, Lulu was found dead.
Lulu's death was the second big shock for Sylvester. The girl was his muse. For a long time he could not come to terms with the loss, but then he poured his pain into creativity.
Now he was pleased with only two things - basketball and music. On the streets of his native town, he began to give the first concerts. The performances of a little-known artist resonated in the hearts of ordinary viewers.
Soon he "put together" the first musical project, which was joined by several more musicians. The boy band became famous in his hometown. The guys even won one thematic event. After the release of their debut track, the group disbanded.
The creative path of R. Kelly
In the 90s, as part of a new team, the artist takes part in the recording of his debut LP. A year later, Kelly concentrated on his own solo LP. The album was warmly received by music lovers. The work Bump `n` Grind so caught the "ears" of music lovers that they decided to send the track to the first line of the music charts. In the future, the musician's debut solo LP will go platinum several times.
Then he took up the production of the singer Alia. Kelly's talent was enough for the artist to become a real diva. Thanks to the tracks to which the artist had a hand, she reached the pinnacle of popularity.
In the meantime, R. Kelly created unrealistically cool remixes. Moreover, the artist “processed” not only his own songs, but also the musical works of his colleagues.
In the mid-90s of the last century, his discography was replenished with the second full-length LP. The musician called the collection by his own name. Critics accused Kelly of being a "narcissist", but that didn't stop the album from taking the lead on the Billboard 200.
A year later, the premiere of the composition took place, which eventually became the hallmark of the artist. Of course, we are talking about the mega-popular track I Believe I Can Fly. The song was composed by R. Kelly especially for the film "Space Jam". The piece of music has become one of the 500 best songs of the XNUMXth century.
During this period of time, he collaborates with many famous stars, which helps both sides "exchange" fans. The artist did not forget to please the "fans" with the regular release of clips. Kelly's videos on Youtube video hosting gained tens of millions of views.
The peak of the popularity of the artist Ar Kelly
The sunset of the 90s of the last century was the peak of the musician's popularity. In 1998, he released a double LP R., the first single from which is I'm Your Angel (featuring Celine Dion) debuts at the top of the music chart. The track held the leading position for more than a month.
R Kelly notices that the audience is "dragging" from hip-hop, so he tries to direct his talent in the right direction. During this period of time, he was seen collaborating with the top rappers of the time - Puff Daddy and Jay Z. With the last performer, he did go on tour. Then the stars recorded a joint disc, which was called The Best of Both Worlds.
In 2003 he presented the album Chocolate Factory. The collection, according to the already established tradition, topped the Billboard 200. Over 2,5 million copies of the LP were sold in the United States of America. The album brought him many prestigious awards.
A year later, another studio album of the musician was released. The collection was called Happy People / U Saved. The first disc was dominated by dance tracks and love ballads at its best, while the second disc was dominated by more sensual and deep works.
On the wave of popularity, the premiere of the seventh studio album took place. TP.3 Reloaded - debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and was greeted by numerous fans.
R. Kelly on the wave of success
2007 was not without musical novelties either. This year, the artist's discography was replenished with the LP Double Up. The main "pearl" of the collection was the track I'm a Flirt. The album Untitled was released at the end of November 2009. In support of both records, the artist held a number of performances.
Further, the discography was replenished almost every year with full-length studio albums. The rapper did not even give journalists a chance to be accused of being unproductive. So, in 2010, the collection Love Letter was released, in 2012 - Write Me Back, in 2013 - Black Panties, in 2015 - The Buffet, in 2016 - 12 Nights of Christmas.
A good part of the presented albums received the so-called platinum status. In turn, this seemed to confirm the high status of Ar Kelly. By the way, he managed to turn not only the music world. He also achieved good heights in sports. So, the artist is listed as a professional basketball player.
Ar Kelly: details of his personal life
If you believe the investigations of Western journalists, then Kelly was connected not only with a working relationship with the singer Aliya. It is also interesting that at the time of "just a working relationship" she was a minor. In the mid-90s, Aliya and Kelly entered into a marriage, but later it was annulled at the request of the girl's relatives. The stars never advertised the relationship.
In 1996, he married the charming Andre Lee. The woman gave her husband 3 children. Everything would be fine, but in 2006 Ar Kelly's wife filed for divorce. Litigation ended only in 2009.
In 2018, Andre Lee broke her silence. As a result of a conversation with reporters, the woman told a lot of "interesting" things about her ex-wife. So, the ex-wife of the star called the relationship with Ar Kelly - hell. He abused her, beat her and mentally mocked her. Against this background, Andre developed psychosis and suicidal tendencies. The artist denies the accusations of the former.
Scandals involving R. Kelly
In 2002, the artist first finds himself in a "dirty" situation. The name of the musician appeared on the page of major tabloids. A video has leaked online showing Ar Kelly urinating on the face of a teenage girl.
Further, the situation is confused by the fact that another minor appears, who claims that the artist forced her to terminate the pregnancy. He is at the center of the lawsuit. As a result, the number of victims increased to 21 people.
Problems with the law and tarnished honor - do not put an end to his career. He continues to be creative. During this period of time, R. Kelly even releases a remix of Ignition. The composition became one of the best-selling singles in the Atlantic.
In 2019, he was again at the center of the scandal. This time the artist was in the courtroom in the case of child pornography. In total, the criminal claims against the musician included thirteen new items, including the production of child pornography, molestation of minors, and sexual harassment.
For further proceedings, Ar Kelly was taken to New York territory. At that time, headlines appeared in some publications that he was facing up to 30 years in prison.
R. Kelly: today
Fresh news with the name Ar Kelly is not related to creativity. The musician, who is 54 years old, was accused of being the head of a criminal organization. The last one was in Chicago. The organization specialized in the exploitation of women and minors.
According to one version, for more than 20 years the artist has been luring the fairer sex backstage, to his home or to a recording studio. Kelly provided the girls with financial support to "dominate them" and also "dominate the girls physically, sexually and psychologically." The musician, of course, refused to admit guilt. Somewhat later, the “cards” were finally revealed.
At the end of September 2021, a jury in NY found Ar Kelly guilty of sexual harassment of women and children. Kelly was found guilty of human trafficking. According to the accusations, the artist for more than two decades headed an enterprise that recruited women and children and subjected them to violence. The final verdict will be delivered in May 2022.
Singer R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison for sexual assault
In 2022, the scandalous case of rapper R. Kelly about numerous sexual assaults was resolved. Judge Donnelly has been hearing the case since early 2021. She took into account the arguments of the accused that he himself had experienced violence from his sister and the landlord (many were embarrassed, the rapper had not voiced his “trouble” anywhere before). Donnelly did not touch the artist's story. She added that he, we quote: "A man who had a huge weight in society, a lot of money, recognition and fame, and vainly used it." The rapper refused to appear in court. He is sentenced to 30 years in prison.
