Born in Chicago in 1967, R. Kelly is a popular American R&B singer-songwriter and record producer best known for his gospel-tinged vocals and highly sexualized lyrics. Lauded as the "King of R&B," Kelly won three Grammy Awards for his hit "I Believe I Can Fly," and has more Top 40 hits than any other male solo artist in the 1990s. His personal life has been imbued with controversial sex scandals, including child-pornography charges that were dropped.

QUOTES

"With my music, I want everyone to recognize me as ... a true writer—a person who is married to his work. I like to think I'm the weird scientist in the basement."

– R. Kelly