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R.
Kelly Interview
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I have been a huge R. Kelly fan for about 13
years now. Being that I am from Chicago, I remember
the excitement of the early 90's when he "made
it." During the fall of 1993, 12 Play was the most
played CD on my college campus. Everyone owed it and
we felt a kinship to R. Kelly because he was
"one of our own." He was a Chicago artist
who used to sing on the L before he got his deal. Even
after he had videos he would hang around the city and
it wasn't odd to see him up in the spot or at the gas
station after he got his deal.
As his star continued to rise, he just became huge.
He wrote songs for Michael Jackson and produced songs
for numerous artists. Many of his own songs like "I
Believe I Can Fly," and "The Worlds Greatest"
are considered modern classics. As his career continued
to rise he displayed just how versatile he was as an
artist. He merged hip-hop and R&B with songs like
"Fiesta-Remix" and "Ignition-Remix,"
and he started releasing some really good music for
the steppers. Gospel songs, sexy songs, slow songs,
steppin' songs, R. Kelly covers the musical gambet.
This past year he returned to drama in his music by
releasing the radio saga "Trapped In The Closet."
For the first time in years (and for the first time
in my life), I was actually tuning into the radio at
a certain time to hear the next chapter. The saga helped
propel TP3-Reloaded to the top of the Billboard
Top 200 chart where it stayed for two weeks.
Okay, it's not everyday that I get to talk with an artist
who has the number one album in the country but Jive
Records made it so. I got to participate in
a conference call where I got to have a few of my questions
answered. It was a really cool opportunity. I wanted
to ask Kellz so many things and tell him things like
how "Ladies Night" (from the Happy People
album) is my husband's favorite song and just ask him
a million things but I couldn't, but am glad I got to
ask what I did!
R. Kelly mentioned in the conference call that there
are more chapters of Trapped In The Closet on
the way so stay tuned for that! Discuss
This Interview In The Forum Now!
 Enjoy!
Dorrie -www.sparkledoll.com
& Thabiz.com
webmaster
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Dorrie Wheeler:
Hello. You have quite a work ethic. Are you finally
at a point in your career where you feel like, "I
made it?"
R. Kelly: Repeat
the question?
Dorrie Wheeler:You
have quite a work ethic. Are you finally at a point
in your career where you feel like, "I've made it?"
R. Kelly:I feel
really good right now for the first time more than
ever with my music and with my writing. I'm really
comfortable with my writing. I think I've found
my niche in the way I want to write, which is real
stories and real songs, and I just feel more comfortable
than I've ever felt when it comes to that. So -
but I don't think I've arrived yet. I think that
is other places that I want to go with this music,
and with writing and everything.
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Dorrie Wheeler: Hello.
As a writer, I can understand how you can write
songs like You Save Me as well as Sex In The Kitchen.
But when it comes to your live show, are you concerned
with how the more gospel influenced songs and the
sex-inspired song are arranged on the set list?
R. Kelly: Say
it one more time? I'm sorry.
Dorrie Wheeler:I'll
say it slower. I said, as a writer, I can understand
how you can write songs like U Saved Me,
as well as Sex In The Kitchen. But when it
comes to your live show, are you concerned with
how the more gospel influenced songs and the sex-inspired
songs are arranged on the set list?
R. Kelly:No,
I'm never concerned about stuff like that. That's
- most of the times, people will get too caught
up into R. Kelly singing a sexual song or singing
a gospel song. I come to bring reality to people,
and sometimes reality hurts. Because of sex, we're
here. Because somebody made love, that's the reason
we're here. However they made love or whatever they
did, however, we're here, and it's like the reality
of that is what it is. So, I don't have a problem
with singing a sexual song and then turning around,
showing people where I would really rather be.
It's a lot of people that go to church, and they
come out of church and light up a cigarette. It's
a lot of people that go to church, and they come
out and they go to their lover's house. But the
fact that they go to church and the fact they even
are trying to better themselves - there's a lot
of fat people in the health club, you know. I'm
just being real. And I would rather be going to
the health club than to not be going to the health
club, because at least I'm getting some kind of
balance in my life. It's like eating meat and no
vegetables. You're just sort of fat, and you're
not full of vegetables or proteins or anything like
that.
So, I look at, like, the gospel side of me, and
when I do a gospel song, I'm trying to bring a balance
to my life, to myself as a man. And then, it's really
about me facing how I feel inside and I feel good
inside not just doing sexual songs, but when I do
I Believe I Can Fly or You Saved Me,
I feel a lot better because I feel like there's
a balance there. I'm not all the way over into the
sex part. And I think that's how people should look
at that. I think people should look at that just
as much as they look at them when they look at their
plate. If they don't have vegetables on their plate,
then they're having an unbalanced meal, and that's
what I'm trying to bring, a balance to this thing,
so people won't think that R. Kelly is just about
sex, just about sex, don't know how to write no
other songs. And I think I've proven that over the
years, that R. Kelly is just not about sex, but
I had to write the gospel songs. I had to write
I Believe I Can Fly to be able to prove that
and show people that I'm not just about the sex
songs. Hope I didn't talk your head off on that
one. |
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Dorrie Wheeler:
Chicago is known for its good food, as well as its
music scene. What are some of your favorite Chicago
restaurants?
R. Kelly:What
are some of my favorite Chicago what?
Dorrie Wheeler:Restaurants.
R. Kelly: Restaurants?
Dorrie Wheeler:Yes.
R. Kelly: I
love Tavern on Rush - on Rush Street, and what other
restaurants are there? I love McCormick & Schmidt.
That's right off of Rush Street. And I go to The
Cheesecake Factory and McDonalds. Those are my four. |
Discuss
This Interview In The Forum Now! |
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Thabiz.com Review of TP3 Reloaded
I have been an R. Kelly fan since 1992. As
of late I have realized that there are two
types of R.Kelly songs or albums. He has the
stepping song/gospel albums (Happy People)
and the albums where he talks about sex and
a lot of the uptempo songs have a hip-hop
feel (Chocolate Factory). I for one like the
latter and feel like this is my favorite R.
Kelly album since "12 Play," so I feel the
title "TP2 Reloaded" is quite appropriate.
The song "Put My Shirt" on is quite titilating
as are many of R's songs. "Sex In The Kitchen"
is another sex themed song with R. Kelly singing
about doing the do right in the kitchen. On
the song, "Hit It Til The Mornin'," R sings
about doing it all night long. This is a great
song (people from the Chi will especially
like this one). It makes you wonder if a man
nearly 40 can be quite so horny all the time.
Anyway, sex is the theme on this album, as
is sleeping with forbidden others.
In the song "Kickin' It With Your Girlfriend"
he explains to a woman that he has been kicking
it with her friend. The CD also includes all
5 parts of the epic "Trapped In The Closet"
song and the long form video on a separate
DVD. The second song on the CD, "Happy Summertime"
is a uptempo song that the steppers might
like. "Playa's Only" is the third single from
the album. Guest artists on the album include
The Game, Snoop Dogg, Elephant Man, Nivea,
Baby, Twista, Do or Die, Wisin and Yandell
and Baby. I think it's a consistent R. Kelly
CD, I didn't feel the urge to skip any songs.
There is a little something for everyone and
I was quite pleased with this CD, probably
more pleased than I have been in years with
an R. Kelly CD. I must mention that my husband
wasn't that impressed with this CD. He however
LOVED "Happy People," as did my mother. I
could do without that CD. So I think the people
who like the sex talkin', freaky, more hip-hop
influenced R. Kelly will enjoy this CD. With
that being said, this CD is NOTHING like "Happy
People," it's more along the lines of "12
Play," and "Chocolate Factory." |
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For more details visit
www.r-kelly.com
May not be reprinted, copied or distributed. You may
link to this interview.
Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com
July 2005.
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