Music Bloodline

R. Kelly

Provocative R&B singer-songwriter who lent his honey-dripped vocals to booty funk anthems, tender ballads, and bizarre "hip-hoperas."

Biography

Urban R&B producer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter [roviLink="MN0000319347"]R. Kelly and his supporting band [roviLink="MN0000307049"]Public Announcement began recording in 1992 at the tail end of the new jack swing era, yet he was able to keep much of its sound alive while remaining commercially successful. While he's created a smooth, professional mixture of hip-hop beats, soul-man crooning, and funk, the most distinctive element of [roviLink="MN0000319347"]Kelly's music is its explicit carnality. Over the course of two albums, the singer has been able to make songs like "Sex Me," "Bump n' Grind," and "Your Body's Callin'" into hits because his production has been seductive enough to sell such blatant come-ons. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine