Robert Kelly is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and former semi-professional basketball player. He is credited for helping redefine R&B and hip hop, earning the nicknames King of R&B and King of Pop-Soul. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play. He is one of the best selling musical artists of all time and has been credited with redefining the musical genres of R&B and hip hop. He soon broke off from the group and embarked on a highly successful solo career. In spite of all his successes he remains a controversial figure because of his alleged involvement in sex crimes.
Birth Name
Robert Sylvester Kelly
Nickname
R. Kelly, The Pied Piper, Kells
Profession
Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, Semi-Pro Basketball Player
Genre
R&B, Soul, Gospel, Hip Hop
Instruments
Vocals, Piano, Keyboard, Guitar
Labels
Jive, RCA Records
Nationality
American
Personal Life
Birthday / Date of Birth
R. Kelly was born on January 08, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
Age
He’s currently 52 years old.
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Ethnicity
Black
Religion
Baptism
Education
R. Kelly went to the Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago.
Family Details
- Father – Unknown
- Mother – Joanne Kelly (Singer) (Died in 1993)
- Siblings – Bruce Kelly (Older Brother), Carey Kelly (Brother)
Marital Status
Married
Girlfriend / Spouse
R. Kelly dated –
- Aaliyah (1994-1995) – Kelly reportedly got married to Aaliyah, whom he was tutoring in August 1994. The wedding ceremony was kept secret as she was just 15 years old at the time of the wedding. They had met about 3 years earlier through her uncle. Her family got the marriage annulled in February 1995.
- Tiffany Hawkins – Hawkins filed a $250,000 lawsuit against Kelly for having a sexual intercourse with her when she was just 15 years old. He had also induced her to participate in group sex.
- Kim Dulaney – Kelly is reported to have dated writer and journalist Kim Dulaney. Over the years, they have shared a very close bond and she has written a couple of children books inspired by his achievements.
- DeLeon Richards – Kelly had an affair with singer DeLeon Richards, who was married to singer Gary Sheffield. This affair came to light after someone tried to blackmail Sheffield with two homemade tapes featuring his wife performing sexual acts on Kelly. In his statement, he revealed that his wife had been having affair with Kelly from a long time.
- Jara Everett – In her memoir released in March 2013, Jara Everett revealed that she had an affair with the singer, who apparently advised her to sleep with people she didn’t want to if she wanted to become a success in the music industry.
- Andrea Kelly (1996-2009) – Andrea first met Robert when she auditioned for the role of one of the background dancers. However, she was initially hesitant of dating him and even turned him down by saying she didn’t want to become his girlfriend as he already had 15 more. He wizened up and got married to her in 1996. Over the years, she has given birth to 3 children. Their marriage was on ropes in 2005 as she had filed for divorce. She took her order back but filed for divorce a year later. They tried to make it work but while watching The Notebook, he realized that their marriage was dead and soon filed for divorce.
- K. Michelle (2013) – Kelly had a fling with singer and hip-hop star, K. Michelle after having met backstage at one of his shows during the Single Ladies tour in August 2013. Apparently, she had come backstage after the show, after which they listened to some music and got drunk. According to him, they had a very good time after getting very drunk.
Physical Statistics
Height
- In feet – 6 feet 1 inches
- In centimeters – 185 cm
- In meters – 1.85 m
Weight
- In Kilograms – 92 kg
- In Pounds – 203 lbs
Body Measurements
- Measurements – 44-14-35
- Chest – 44 in or 112 cm
- Arms / Biceps – 14 in or 35.5 cm
- Waist – 35 in or 89 cm
Body Build
Average
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Hair Color
Black
Sexuality
Straight
Professional Statistics
Famous For
His hit singles such as Bump N’ Grind, Your Body’s Callin, I Believe I Can Fly, Gotham City, Ignition and If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time.
Film Debut
In 2005, R. Kelly first appeared in the documentary film about Jay-Z Fade to Black as himself.
Album Debut
In 1992, Kelly released his debut album Born into the 90’s, with the group Public Announcement as his back-up. The album produced several hit songs and was eventually certified platinum.
Television Debut
In 1990, R. Kelly made his first TV show appearance on the Big Break as a contestant where he finished 1st.
Brand Endorsements
R. Kelly has endorsed in commercials for Beat studios, Reebok’s Sounds & Rhythm of Sport (2002), The Tom Joyner Foundation Fantastic Voyage (2015), Toyota SWAC Football Championship (2015) & Asparagus Growers.
R. Kelly Favorites
His favorite things aren’t known.
R. Kelly Net worth
R Kelly’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $1 million dollars as of 2019 and after numerous law suits, complications, allegations and even the Surviving R Kelly series his net worth has dropped significantly.
Social Media Profiles
- Facebook – R. Kelly
- Instagram – rkelly
- Twitter – R. Kelly
- YouTube Channel – RKellyVEVO
Some Lesser Known Facts About R. Kelly
- He had a very difficult childhood. He was often sexually abused by a woman and was shot in the shoulder while riding his bike home, when he was 11.
- He started singing in the church choir when he was eight.
- He has his name etched in the Guinness book of world records as his written song, You Are Not Alone became the first song to debut on the 1st position in the US singles chart.
- In July 1996, he was involved in a brawl at the health club in Louisiana. Subsequently, he was found guilty of battery and as a result was placed on 1-year unsupervised probation.
- In 1998 he released ‘R’, the album that would become the most commercially successful one of his career so far. It also received highly positive critical reviews and earned many awards and nominations.
- He is the 5th black artist to have cracked into the list of Top 50 Best Selling Music Artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.
- In 2003, he staged a fundraising gig with proceeds going to the Texas Military Family Foundation. Eventually, he donated $50,000 to the foundation.
- In 2005, he released the album TP.3 Reloaded which became his fourth No. 1 hit on the Billboard 200 album chart. It featured songs like In the Kitchen, Reggae Bump Bump, Happy Summertime and Slow Wind.
- In 2010, he composed a single Sign of Victory for the FIFA World Cup and donated all the proceeds from the song to various African charities.
- In March 2011, Billboard declared him the Most Successful R&B Artist of the Last 25 Years.
- He returned to sexually charged themes with his 2013 album, Black Panties. The album debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, and received mixed reviews from the critics.
- Visit his official website @ r-kelly.com.
