R Kelly

Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Often referred to as the King of R&B, Kelly is recognized as one of the most successful R&B artists of all-time. A native of Chicago, 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", and the hip-hopera "Trapped in the Closet". In 1997, Kelly won three Grammy Awards for "I Believe I Can Fly".

Kelly has also collaborated with, written, produced, and remixed songs for many artists including The Isley Brothers, Charlie Wilson, Quincy Jones, K-Ci & JoJo, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears, Usher, B2K, Twista, and others.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), has recognized R. Kelly as one of the best-selling music artists in the United States with 33.5 million albums sold. In March 2011, R. Kelly was named the most successful R&B artist of the last 25 years by Billboard. Kelly has released 10 studio albums, sold 35 million albums in the U.S., 15 million singles, and over 50 million albums worldwide making him the most successful R&B male artist of the 1990's.

A video of a man purported to be him having sex with what was alleged to be an underage girl was released, Kelly was indicted on 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. Despite his past legal woes, Kelly still retains a huge following, and his popularity has grown in recent years.

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