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Music

As bad as he wants to be

R&B star R. Kelly's fans are more interested in his music than his legal problems.

By SEAN DALY
Published March 23, 2006

	[AP photo: 2005]
	At the time R&B singer R. Kelly was appearing in court in Chicago on child pornography charges, his latest album, TP.3 Reloaded, was heading to the top of the charts.
	'Trapped' proves to be tantalizing Trapped in the Closet, R. Kelly's 12-part hip-hopera about foreplay, gunplay and a flatulent little person, is either pure genius or pure madness.

Sex in the kitchen over by the stove

Put you on the counter by the buttered rolls

Hands on the table, on your tippy toes

We'll be making love like the restaurant was closed

- "In the Kitchen," R. Kelly

At a time when R&B phenom R. Kelly should have kept the bedroom door closed, he instead recorded one of the most sexually brazen albums of his career.

The 39-year-old Grammy winner, who faces criminal charges involving child pornography and accusations of sexual indiscretions, included the above ode on his 2005 album TP.3 Reloaded. That album, his fifth No. 1 disc in a 13-year solo career, also included such aggressive come-ons as Sex Weed, Kickin' It With Your Girlfriend, Sex Love is What We Makin' and Put My T-Shirt On, with the opening lyric: "Lyin' here up in the bed, checkin' you out while you're in that bathroom . . ."

The album also featured the first five chapters (out of an eventual 12) of Trapped in the Closet, a story-song involving all manner of kinkery and deceit. (See related story for a guide to Kelly's "hip-hopera.")

Unlike many celebrities with milelong scandal sheets - including Michael Jackson, whom we'll get to in just a bit - Kelly is seemingly unbreakable, a Teflon-coated superstar. The Chicago native, who plays a sold-out show at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater on Saturday, has marketed himself as an uncontrollable kinky-sex machine, the same thing he's being accused of in court.

Kelly has never apologized about anything. He's pretended like nothing has happened. He even continues to call himself "the Pied Piper of R&B." That's not playing coy, folks, that's just plain rubbing our faces in it.

And what has been the response from fans?

Kelly is arguably as popular as ever.

Reloaded debuted at No. 1 in July, selling an astounding 490,000 copies in its first week. At the same time, Kelly was under indictment in Illinois on 14 counts of child pornography - charges that involve a 26-minute videotape allegedly showing him having fetishistic sex with his 14-year-old goddaughter. Those charges are still pending.

Keep in mind, too, that the sex-tape imbroglio is just one of a long line of Kelly scandals:

n In 1994, it was reported that Kelly had secretly wed then-15-year-old protege Aaliyah. (They reportedly had the marriage annulled; Aaliyah was killed in a 2001 plane crash in the Bahamas.)

n In 1998, Kelly reportedly settled a civil suit that claimed a sexual relationship with an underage female.

n In 2002, Kelly was arrested in Miami on a warrant of 12 counts of possession of child pornography. (Those charges were eventually dropped.)

n And in 2004, a concert tour with popular rapper Jay-Z was scrapped when Kelly claimed that members of Jay-Z's entourage threatened him with violence. Kelly would later sue Jay-Z, who countersued Kelly.

n Kelly's brother went on a New York radio show recently and talked trash about Kelly's sexual proclivities.

Despite all that, I predict that history will be kind to Kelly - whether he's guilty or not. Not only will he be remembered as a talented singer-songwriter-producer - he is indeed blessed with a fine voice and a prolific gift for pop hooks - but more and more PR firms will invoke the "Kelly Rule":

Don't hide it, flaunt it.

A while ago, I covered two sold-out R. Kelly shows in Washington. One was a solo show, the other was a show with Jay-Z. Both came after the child pornography charges.

Any doubt about fan indifference toward Kelly was quickly erased as soon as the ab-ripped 6-foot-1 star walked onstage. The screams were deafening, especially when Kelly launched into such hits as Bump n' Grind ("My mind's telling me no, but my body's telling me yes") and Down Low (Nobody Has to Know) ("Secret lovers is what you wanna be").

I realized that not only was Kelly being celebrated for being so unabashedly lascivious, but he was also being celebrated for not being Michael Jackson. Fans seem to find the accusations that Kelly fancies underage females not nearly as offensive as MJ's alleged relationships with underage males.

Jackson is now wearing a veil in Bahrain.

Kelly, on the other hand, is selling out show after show across the country.

To paraphrase Kelly's biggest hit, the man believes he can fly.

And you know what?

He might be right.

Sean Daly can be reached at sdaly@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8467. His blog is at www.sptimes.com/blogs/popmusic.

R. Kelly performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. Sold out. (727) 791-7400.

[Last modified March 22, 2006, 12:54:10]