Was married to R&B Singer/actress Aaliyah. That marrige was annulled due to Aaliyah's status as a minor (she was 15 years old,; he was in his mid 20s).
Two daughters Jaya and Joann and a son Robert Jr.
His mother, Joanne Kelly, died in 1993
Had a young Halle Berry as his love interest in on of his first videos 1992 Honey Love.
R. Kelly began his music career as the front man of r&b singing group Public Announcement.
Used to be the producer for Changing Faces, Sparkle and Kelly Price.
Had the most top ten singles in America during the 90's.
Has sold over 24 million albums worlwide.
Albums: Born into the 90s; 12 Play; R. Kelly; R; TP-2.com, Best of Both Worlds.
R. Kelly has recorded a song about his court battle and released it exclusively to his local radio station.
R.Kelly out on $750,000 bail after being charged with 21 counts of producing child pornography.
Frequently collaborates with Ronald Isley.
Writes, arranges, and produces all of his own songs.
Frequently wears basketball jerseys with the number 12 on to commemorate his groundbreaking album "12 Play".
His latest album "Chocolate Factory" sold over 500,000 copies in its first week of release. It has so far sold in excess of 2,000,000 in the USA alone.
Attended Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago, Illinois.
R. Kelly Detailed Biography
Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 18, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois), who goes by the stage name of R. Kelly, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, rapper and record producer who first appeared on the R&B scene in 1992 and came to dominate it throughout the 1990s and in the current decade. A very successful hitmaker, his hits include "Bump & Grind" (1994), "I Believe I Can Fly" (1996), "Ignition Remix" (2003) and "Trapped in the Closet" (2005). Numerous pending allegations regarding his involvement with child pornography threaten to overshadow his fame as a musician.
Born into poverty and distress in Chicago's projects, young Robert Kelly and his two brothers and sister and mother Joanne struggled. After a shooting by a mugger as a teenager, Kelly looked to basketball and music to get him away from the atmosphere. Guided by his teacher Lena McLin, Kelly entered a career in music after singing the classic ballad, "Ribbon in the Sky" at a talent show to his high school friends.
By 1990, Kelly started to develop his sound playing his keyboards and becoming a street performer. He released his first single "Why You Wanna Play Me" with the group MGM on Tavdash Records in 1990. His manager at the time, David Hyatt, introduced him to Wayne Williams at Jive Records. Sometime around 1991 he met Barry Hankerson. Hankerson became his full time manager after David Hyatt was sentenced to life in prison for running a large midwest drug ring. In late 1991 Kelly was introducted to Aaliyah, and his then group Public Announcement recorded much of what would be "Born Into the '90s" at a recording studio Kelly leased. Within a few months, songs like "She's Got that Vibe", "Slow Dance", "Dedicated", and "Honey Love" would be the featured songs in Born Into the '90s, which was released several days after Kelly's 25th birthday in January 1992. A huge R&B success, the album would yield the featured songs as the hits and would eventually go Platinum selling over a million copies.
After his brush with controversy, Kelly returned to the studio to record his third album (his second solo effort). He released his self-titled album in 1995, which was a big success like its predecessor, selling over 5 million copies and unleashing classics like "You Remind Me of Something" (a Top 5 Pop and #1 R&B record in 1995), "I Can't Sleep (Baby If I)" (a Top 10 Pop and R&B single in 1996) and his collaboration with legendary R&B singer Ronald Isley of the famed Isley Brothers, "Down Low" (a Top 10 pop and R&B record in 1996). The album was hailed by some as the singer's most mature record. Before then, people had perceived Kelly to be a sexual deviant because of the lyrics on 12 Play.
In 1995, Kelly found his huge success as a songwriter penning hits for R&B group Changing Faces and pop and R&B music legends Janet Jackson (producing the remix for Jackson's 1994 smash, "Any Time, Any Place") and Michael Jackson (penning and co-producing the single, "You Are Not Alone" for Jackson's HIStory album in 1995). The latter single became the first in music history to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 at #1.
