R. Kelly /

Robert Sylvester Kelly (Born January 8, 1967), better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American R singer-songwriter, arranger, performer and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play. He is known for a collection of major hit singles including "Bump n' Grind", "Your Body's Callin'", "I Believe I Can Fly", "Gotham City", "Ignition (Remix)", "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time", "The World's Greatest", "I'm a Flirt", and the hip-hopera "Trapped in the Closet". In 1998, Kelly won three Grammy Awards for "I Believe I Can Fly". Kelly has also written, produced and remixed songs for many artists including Ronald Isley and The Isley Brothers, Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, N-Phase, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Maxwell, Gerald LeVert, Britney Spears, Usher, Ray J, B2K, Ciara, Mary J. Blige, and Jennifer Lopez among others. Born on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, Kelly was the third of four children.