R. Kelly

Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), known professionally as R. Kelly, is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and former professional basketball player. A native of Chicago, Illinois, often referred to as the King of R&B, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play. He is known for a collection of major hit singles including "Bump N' Grind", "Your Body's Callin'", "I Believe I Can Fly", "Gotham City", "Ignition (Remix)", "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time", "The World's Greatest", "I'm a Flirt (Remix)", and the hip-hopera "Trapped in the Closet". In 1998, Kelly won three Grammy Awards for "I Believe I Can Fly". His distinctive sound and style has influenced numerous hip hop and contemporary R&B artists. Kelly became the first music star to play professional basketball, when he got signed in 1997.

Kelly has written, produced, and remixed songs and albums for many artists, including Aaliyah's 1994 debut album Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. In 1996, Kelly was nominated for a Grammy for writing Michael Jackson's song "You Are Not Alone". In 2002 and 2004, Kelly released collaboration albums with rapper Jay-Z and has been a guest vocalist for other hip hop artists like Nas, Sean Combs, and The Notorious B.I.G.

Kelly

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Same Girl

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The Essential

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R. Kelly discography

The discography of R. Kelly, an American R&B singer, consists of 13 studio albums, 5 compilation albums, 3 collaborative albums, and 48 singles. R. Kelly debuted with the group Public Announcement in 1992 with the album Born Into the '90s that included two singles that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the US: "Honey Love" and "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)". Kelly made his solo debut in 1993 with 12 Play, including the gold-certified single "Sex Me" and another #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts, "Bump n' Grind". R. Kelly also became a producer and songwriter for other artists, including Aaliyah and Michael Jackson. In 1995, R. Kelly released his second solo album R. Kelly, which debuted on the top of the Billboard 200 album chart. Like 12 Play before it, R. Kelly was certified five times platinum and had three singles hit #1 on the R&B/Hip Hop chart: "You Remind Me of Something", "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" and "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)", the latter featuring The Isley Brothers.