An accomplished songwriter, producer, and remixer, R. Kelly has written and produced for Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, Janet Jackson, Kelly Price, Toni Braxton, Mary J Blige, and Luther Vandross, just to name a few. R. Kelly has also won Grammy Awards, sold multiplatinum albums across the world, achieved number one singles, and performed sell-out tours wherever he plays.
It was in 1991 when R. Kelly signed to Jive Records. He locked himself away in a recording studio and began to write, sing, and learn as many instruments as he could to play on his debut album. The result was Born Into The '90s, which was released in 1992 to critical acclaim. Born was a mix of soul, swing beats infused with rap, and pure attitude, and the album struck gold with music lovers, going platinum in the U.S. His first U.K. tour, in 1992, had him performing three sell-out shows at the Hammersmith Apollo. On his next tour 18 months later, the number of sell-out shows increased to five at the same venue, plus a date in Wolverhampton. The Kelly profile was growing significantly, and R. Kelly's next album, 12 Play, went platinum. ΓÇ£Your Body's CallinΓÇÖ,ΓÇ¥ its first single, became R. Kelly's first U.K. Top 20 hit early in 1994. This was followed by ΓÇ£She's Got That Vibe,ΓÇ¥ which peaked at Number Three. ΓÇ£Bump'n'GrindΓÇ¥ completed the hat trick, with a Number Eight chart position in 1995.
Having established himself as an artist, R. Kelly took on the mantle of writer, producer, and mixer and soon found himself in demand. In 1995, he remixed Janet Jackson's ΓÇ£Anytime, AnyplaceΓÇ¥ before keeping it in the family with Michael Jackson's ΓÇ£You Are Not Alone,ΓÇ¥ which R. Kelly wrote, produced, and vocally arranged. The song was a number one hit on both sides of the Atlantic and made R. Kelly more sought after than ever. Over the next two years he wrote and produced ΓÇ£When You Call My NameΓÇ¥ for Luther Vandross, wrote and produced the international Changing Faces hit ΓÇ£G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.,ΓÇ¥ guested on Notorious BIG's Life After Death album, wrote, produced, and duetted on Mary J Blige's track "It's On," wrote and produced the Toni Braxton hit ΓÇ£I Don't Want To,ΓÇ¥ wrote, produced, and arranged ΓÇ£Every NationΓÇ¥ by the Red Hot R&B All Stars, and eventually had a number one U.K. hit with the international mega-hit single ΓÇ£I Believe I Can FlyΓÇ¥ from the movie, Space Jam. ΓÇ£I BelieveΓÇ¥ took his career into the stratosphere, selling more than 5 million copies worldwide and earning him three Grammy Awards in 1998 for best song from a motion picture, best R&B song, and best R&B vocal performance.
In the U.K., ΓÇ£I BelieveΓÇ¥ went platinum and R. Kelly followed up with the top 10 hit single ΓÇ£Gotham CityΓÇ¥ from the movie, Batman Forever. In 1998, he made a guest appearance on the remix of Wyclef Jean's international hit single ΓÇ£Gone 'Til November,ΓÇ¥ produced a track for Kelly Price as well as remixing and guesting on her single, ΓÇ£Friend Of Mine,ΓÇ¥ and launched the career of his prodigy, Sparkle, whose album he produced and wrote, also joining Sparkle for a duet on his debut top 10 single ΓÇ£Be Careful.ΓÇ¥
In 1998, R. Kelly released a double album, R., containing 30 tracks including the hits ΓÇ£I Believe I Can Fly,ΓÇ¥ ΓÇ£Gotham City,ΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£Half On A Baby.ΓÇ¥ The album featured contributions from Keith Murray, Noreaga, Cam'Ron, and Sparkle and is heralded as a stunning mix of street beats and sweet ballads. Upon its release in early November, R. debuted at Number Two in the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. Also, his duet with Celine Dion, "I'm Your Angel," made a fantastic leap from Number 155 to Number One in the Billboard Top 100 Singles chart.
When the ballad ΓÇ£If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of TimeΓÇ¥ was released in 1999, it became a smash hit in many countries, including Holland, Sweden, and the U.K. R. is currently certified six times platinum in the United States and has sold more than 1 million copies across the U.K. and Europe.
Now, before the year 2000 comes to a close, R. Kelly will release his sixth album, titled TP-2.com, in the U.S. November 7. Its first single,ΓÇ£I Wish,ΓÇ¥ is a tribute to R. Kelly's roots and to his mother.
