R. Kelly

Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois), who goes by the stage name of R. Kelly, is a successful R&B singer-songwriter and record producer who came to dominate the R&B music scene throughout the 19

Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois), who goes by the stage name of R. Kelly, is a successful R&B singer-songwriter and record producer who came to dominate the R&B music scene throughout the 1990s and in the current decade. A very successful hitmaker, his hits include "Bump & Grind" (1994), "I Believe I Can Fly" (1996), "Ignition Remix" (2003) and "Trapped in the Closet" (2005).

Born into poverty and distress in Chicago's Southside projects, young Robert Kelly and his two brothers and sister and mother Joanne struggled to survive in the streets. After a shooting by a mugger as a teenager, Kelly looked to basketball and music to get him away from the atmosphere that had consumed so many young Black individuals in the projects. Guided by his teacher Lena McLin, Kelly entered a career in music after wowing his high school friends by singing the classic ballad, "Ribbon in the Sky" at a talent show.