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R. Kelly

Historical Figure

R. Kelly

b. 1967

American R&B singer (born 1967)

Postwar

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Biography

Robert Sylvester Kelly is an American former singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is credited with prolific commercial success in R&B, hip hop, and pop music recordings, earning nicknames such as "the King of R&B", "the King of Pop-Soul", and "the Pied Piper of R&B". In 2021 and 2022, Kelly was convicted of multiple charges of child sexual abuse, and was sentenced to 31 years in prison, effectively ending his career. In 2025, Billboard ranked him 9th on their list of the "Best R&B Artists of All Time".

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Timeline

The story of R. Kelly, told in moments.

1967 Birth

Born Robert Sylvester Kelly in Chicago. Raised by his mother in the Ida B. Wells housing projects. He was functionally illiterate through much of his life.

How did growing up in the Ida B. Wells projects shape your view of the world? What was it like being functionally illiterate while making music? Did your mother give you something no one else could?
1993 Event

Released his debut album 12 Play. "Bump N' Grind" stayed at number one for 12 weeks. He produced Aaliyah's debut album the same year. She was 14.

What does it mean that you produced Aaliyah's album when she was 14? Did 12 weeks at number one feel like enough? Were you already the person you'd become?
1996 Event

Wrote and produced "I Believe I Can Fly" for the Space Jam soundtrack. It won three Grammy Awards. For a time, he was the top-selling male R&B artist in America.

Did writing 'I Believe I Can Fly' feel like your best self? Were those three Grammys the peak? Was there ever a version of you that stayed on that path?
2022 Event

Sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for racketeering and sex trafficking. A second conviction in Chicago added another year. Victims testified they were minors.

What would you say to the people you harmed? Does 30 years feel like justice to you? When did you stop being able to tell yourself it was okay?

Artifacts (15)

Activity and Aging: Staying Involved in Later Life

In this volume, leading contributors from both gerontology and leisure studies discuss the importance of various kinds of activity to health, social integration and the quality of later life. Each...

1993
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A Testament of Devotion

Since its first publication in 1941, A Testament of Devotion, by the renowned Quaker teacher Thomas Kelly, has been universally embraced as a truly enduring spiritual classic. Plainspoken and deeply...

1996
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In the Forest of Fontainebleau: Painters and Photographers from Corot to Monet

This publication examines the significance of the region of Fountainebleau to the plein-air tradition in France. It highlights four pivotal figures in the evolution of landscape painting:...

2008
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Soulacoaster

Who is R. Kelly? Three-time Grammy winner, who has sold more than 35 million records worldwide. Legendary writer and producer, who collaborated with such music icons as Michael Jackson, Celine Dion,...

2012
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Soula Coaster: The Diary of Me

The R & B performer and producer traces the story of his life and career, describing his battle with a learning disorder, his collaborations with such icons as Michael Jackson and Aretha Franklin, and...

2012
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The Netter Collection of Medical Illustrations: Urinary System: Volume 5

The Urinary System, 2nd Edition provides a concise and highly visual approach to the basic sciences and clinical pathology of the kidney, bladder, and ureters. This volume in The Netter Collection of...

2012
Works Read Talk

Introduction to Information Systems: Supporting and Transforming Business

The goal of Introduction to Information Systems, 3rd Canadian Edition remains the same: to teach all business majors, especially undergraduate ones, how to use information technology to master their...

2013
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Corrective Action

Seeking to leave his prominent Boston family and privileged background behind, Doctor Wade Bowers comes to practice in a small New England town. With his Ivy League education and the finest surgical...

2013
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Criminal Justice at the Crossroads: Transforming Crime and Punishment

Over the past forty years, the criminal justice system in the United States has engaged in a very expensive policy failure, attempting to punish its way to public safety, with dismal results....

2015
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Neuroradiology: Spectrum and Evolution of Disease

Acquire a better understanding of disease evolution and treatment response with Neuroradiology Spectrum and Evolution of Disease. The unique format includes carefully chosen clinical images that...

2018
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Introduction to Information Systems

As digital transformation becomes increasingly central to effective corporate strategy, today’s students must understand information systems’ role as the backbone to all organizations. Known for its...

2020
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Introduction to Information Systems

As digital transformation reshapes the business landscape, today's students need to understand how information systems drive organizational success across all industries. Introduction to Information...

2025
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The Fisherman's Gift: A Novel

The Light Between Oceans meets The Snow Child in this novel set in a Scottish village in the weeks after a young boy mysteriously washes up on shore, causing the buried secrets of the insular...

2026
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The Future of Crime and Punishment: Smart Policies for Reducing Crime and Saving Money

Today, we know that crime is often not just a matter of making bad decisions. Rather, there are a variety of factors that are implicated in much criminal offending, some fairly obvious like poverty,...

2016
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The Uphill River (HB): The Memoir of a Boy Chosen by God and the Universe to Become a Physician

The Uphill River By: Bruce R. Kelly The Uphill River is the unlikely odyssey of a lower middle-class boy through a life that God and the universe chose for him. Through imagery and humor, you will...

2020
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