R. Kelly

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2021)

R. Kelly
Kelly performing in June 2017
Born	Robert Sylvester Kelly (1967-01-08) January 8, 1967 (age 57) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	Pied Piper Kellz
Occupations	Singer songwriter record producer actor
Years active	1989–2019
Criminal penalty	31 years imprisonment
Criminal status	Incarcerated at FCI Butner Medium in Butner, North Carolina (BOP custody, inmate, convicted 09627-035)
Spouse(s)	Aaliyah ​ ​ (m. 1994; ann. 1995)​ Andrea Lee ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 2009)​
Children	3
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	R&B hip hop soul gospel pop
Labels	Rockland Jive RCA
Basketball career
Personal information
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
Playing career	1997–1999[1]
Position	Shooting guard / Small forward
Number	12[2]
Career history
1997–1999	Atlantic City Seagulls[3]
Career highlights and awards
3× USBL champion (1997, 1998, 1999)
Website	r-kelly.com

Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.

Kelly has released twelve studio albums and three collaboration albums. He has been nominated for 24 Grammy Awards. He has won three.^[4] He is also known for the hit songs "Ignition", "I Believe I Can Fly" and the "Trapped in the Closet" series of songs. He sold more albums than any other male R&B musician in the 1990s.

He produced Aaliyah's 1994 first album Age Ain't Nothing But a Number. In 1996, Kelly was nominated for a Grammy Award for writing Michael Jackson's song "You Are Not Alone".

In 2019, Kelly was arrested and for sexual abuse and child pornography of under aged girls.^[5] A 2021 trial in New York convicted Kelly for violations of the Mann Act and racketeering.^[6] A 2022 trial in Chicago convicted Kelly for three child pornography charges and three charges of enticing a minor; He was acquitted of charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice in relation to his 2008 trial.^[7][8][9] The Brooklyn court sentenced Kelly to 30 years imprisonment.^[10] Kelly was sentenced in Chicago federal court on February 23, 2023.^[11][12] He was sentenced Kelly to 20 years: 19 years were to be served at the same time as his 30-year sentence from New York, He was also given1 year to be served after his NY sentence, This means he has a total sentence of 31 years.^[13] As of September 2022^[ref], Kelly is an inmate of a prison in Chicago. He continues to challenge his two convictions.^[14][15][16]

1. ↑ "The Righteous Brother: R. Kelly's ambitious album of genre- spanning songs finds him updating the spiritually grounded R& of such greats as Al Green and Donny Hathaway". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
2. ↑ "R. Kelly Signs Pro Basketball Deal". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 19, 2000. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
3. ↑ "Breaking Celeb News, Entertainment News, and Celebrity Gossip". E!. April 25, 1997. Retrieved March 11, 2015.
4. ↑ Stern, Marlow (9 December 2013). "Why Has the Public Forgiven R. Kelly for His Sordid, Predatory Past?". The Daily Beast – via www.thedailybeast.com.
5. ↑ Rojas, Rick; Zaveri, Mihir; Gold, Michael (July 12, 2019). "U.S. Prosecutors File New Charges, Including Child Pornography, Against R. Kelly". The New York Times.
6. ↑ Trepany, Charlies (September 27, 2021). "R. Kelly's sex-trafficking trial: Everything that happened, up to the guilty verdict". USA Today. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
7. ↑ "R. Kelly trial: Singer has dark side hidden from public - prosecutor". BBC News. August 17, 2022.
8. ↑ "R. Kelly's Chicago trial to start in August". WGN-TV. May 11, 2022. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
9. ↑ "R. Kelly convicted on child pornography charges at federal trial in Chicago; acquitted of conspiring to obstruct justice". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
10. ↑ Blistein, Jon; Kreps, Daniel; Bekiempis, Victoria (2022-06-29). "R. Kelly Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison on Racketeering, Sex Trafficking Charges". Rolling Stone.
11. ↑ Chiarito, Robert; Jacobs, Julia (February 23, 2023). "R. Kelly Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Sex Crimes". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
12. ↑ "R. Kelly judge shoots down request for $850,000 in attorneys' fees from singer's acquitted ex-manager". Chicago Sun-Times. 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
13. ↑ "R. Kelly Sentenced to 1 Additional Year in Prison, 19 Concurrent Years, Following Child Pornography and Enticement Convictions". WTTW News. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
14. ↑ Aratani, Lauren; Oladipo, Gloria (2021-09-27). "R Kelly found guilty on racketeering and sex trafficking charges". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
15. ↑ "Prosecutors in NYC defend R. Kelly racketeering conviction, say evidence was 'overwhelming'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-05-11.
16. ↑ "R. Kelly transferred to Chicago prison ahead of trial". WLS-TV. 2022-07-13. Archived from the original on 2022-07-13. Retrieved 2022-07-15.