Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. As a recording artist, Kelly was credited with helping to redefine R&B and hip hop, earning nicknames such as “the King of R&B”, “the King of Pop-Soul”, and the “Pied Piper of R&B”.
He is known for his extensive discography of hits spanning three decades. He has sold over 75 million records worldwide, which made him the most successful male R&B artist of the 1990s and one of the world’s best-selling music artists.
He won three Grammy Awards for “I Believe I Can Fly”. He has written, produced, and remixed songs, singles, and albums for several artists, including a Grammy Award nominated song Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone”.
Throughout his career, Kelly has been repeatedly accused of sexual abuse with young adults and minors. He has faced multiple civil suits and has been indicted by criminal courts in Chicago, New York, Illinois, and Minnesota. He repeatedly denied the charges.
In 1994, he illegally married his underage protégé Aaliyah. In 2002, he was indicted but eventually acquitted on 21 counts of making child pornography.
In January 2019, a Lifetime television docuseries, Surviving R. Kelly, helped resurface the scandal. Under pressure from the Mute R. Kelly movement, RCA Records terminated Kelly’s contract with the label.
In 2019, several jurisdictions built criminal cases against Kelly, and grand juries brought indictments in both federal and state courts. Following Kelly’s arrest, he was remanded to Metropolitan Detention Center.
In 2021, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York tried and won the first criminal conviction against Kelly for a sex offense, with the jury finding Kelly guilty on a total of nine criminal counts including violations of the Mann Act and racketeering. On June 29, 2022, Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Kelly continues to challenge his New York conviction.
As of June 2022, Kelly is scheduled to face another federal trial in the Northern District of Illinois alongside his former employees. The indictment, in this case, alleges Kelly both produced child sexual abuse material and conspired with employees to corruptly win his 2008 acquittal. The trial is scheduled to begin on August 15.
List of All R. Kelly Songs
| Song | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “12 Play” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly Timmy Allen (co.) |
1993 | 12 Play |
| “2nd Kelly” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 1998 | R. |
| “3-Way Phone Call” (feat. Kelly Price, Kim Burrell & Maurice Mahon) | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 2004 | Happy People/U Saved Me |
| “Africa” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 2005 | My Diary |
| “All I Really Want” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 2000 | TP-2.COM |
| “All My Fault” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 2015 | The Buffet |
| “All Rounds On Me” | Robert Kelly Dorrell Mays |
Robert Kelly Bigg Makk |
2012 | Write Me Back |
| “All The Way” (feat. Kelly Rowland) | Robert Kelly Sly Jordan |
David Anthony Rich Nice Robert Kelly |
2013 | Black Panties |
| “Anything Goes” (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) | Robert Kelly Dernst Emile Tyrone Griffin, Jr. |
Robert Kelly D’Mile |
2015 | The Buffet |
| “Apologies of a Thug” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 2002 | Loveland (Limited Edition) |
| “As I Look Into My Life” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 1995 | R. Kelly |
| “Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby…” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 1995 | R. Kelly |
| “Back To The Hood of Things” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 1993 | 12 Play |
“Backyard Party” |
Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 2015 | The Buffet |
| “Bad Man” |
Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 2000 | Shaft (Soundtrack) |
| “Bangin’ The Headboard” | Robert Kelly Darhyl Camper Infinity Miguel Jiminez Sassieon Hill |
Darhyl “DJ Camper” Infinity Robert Kelly |
2009 | Untitled |
| “Barely Breathin'” | Robert Kelly |
Robert Kelly± | 2015 | The Buffet (Deluxe Version) |
| “Be My #2” | Robert Kelly Jack Splash Paul Kyser Leon Stuckley |
Jack Splash Robert Kelly |
2009 | Untitled |
| “Beautiful In This Mirror” | Robert Kelly |