by Sarah Huth

Created on: May 27, 2008

A talented R&B powerhouse in the early 1990's, R. Kelly has been known more recently for the scandal surrounding him than he has been for his music. Over his career he has been involved in several sex tape lawsuits, many with under-aged minors, has made extremely arrogant statements about his talent for music (once comparing himself to Muhammad Ali, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, and Martin Luther King Jr.), and has been involved in numerous other lawsuits and disputes. Known for his cocky attitude and hits such as "Bump and Grind", "I Believe I Can Fly", and "Trapped in the Closet", R. Kelly is one of the most interesting R&B artists to date.

Robert Sylvester Kelly was born January 8th, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. His mother's name was Joann Kelly, and he lived with her and his two siblings. Kelly claims to have been sexually abused by an older male when he was young, and tells a story about being shot by a robber when he was thirteen, though his mother said that it was a suicide attempt. He also claims to have exhibited early musical talent in High School, where a music teacher supposedly told him that he would, "be a star and work with artists like Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder" (Wikipedia). He eventually dropped out of high school and became a street performer, before forming the group "MGM" with his friend Marc McWilliams in 1989. Their first single, "Why You Wanna Play Me" was released on Tavdash records, and they changed their name to "Public Announcement" shortly afterwords. They signed with Jive Records in 1991 and their debut album, "Born into the '90s" was released in 1992. Hit singles included, "She's Got That Vibe", "Honey Love", and "Dedicated". With Kelly performing lead vocals, the group was often billed as "R. Kelly and Public Announcement". Kelly eventually left the group after touring in 1993 to pursue a solo career.

Kelly's first solo album, "12 Play" was released in 1993, and featured his first number one hit, "Bump N' Grind". Kelly also began producing, and worked with up and coming artists such as Aaliyah and Changing Faces. In 1994, Kelly married his first wife, fifteen year old Aaliyah, who had lied and claimed to be eighteen at the time. The marriage was annulled, though Kelly claims that it never happened. This, however, was not Kelly's first tangle with an under-aged girl; allegations go back as far as 1991. Two sex suits by underage girls were settled out of court, and another woman sued him for supposedly getting her pregnant and forcing

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