I read an article by Marc Hogan on R Kelly recently and I’ve been wondering what the answer to the question is. Is he a musical genius or a comedic novelty act?
Culturally and musically, he is responsible for the worlds first meta-song hit with the “Ignition Remix” – a song in which the main purpose of the chorus is to tell us the song is a remix as well as unique vocal style of syncopated singing rap he employs on his records. Let is not forget the seminal episodal hip-hopera Trapped in the Closet. It’s with these kind of tricks that Kelly blurs the lines between musical ingenuity and comedy. Of course, it’s hard to ignore the disturbing sexual allegations in all of this especially considering Kelly is a self confessed “sexosaurus” (See lyrics from the bizarre “The Zoo”) .
The genius of the man is his ability to appeal to different audiences as Hogan discusses:
There are people who listen to “Bump N Grind” ironically, and there are (were?) people who listened to it unironically. There are people who listened to R. Kelly’s No. 1 collaboration with Celine Dion and found it inspirational, and there are people who didn’t listen to it. There are people who want to hear him sing about the tragedies of our time, Hurricane Katrina or the Virginia Tech shootings, and there are people who want to laugh at his jokes.
So with that in mind, I present to you “Sex Planet” from Kelly’s new album Doubled Up. I can’t imagine anyone honestly listening to this song in the bedroom and feeling the pun-heavy lyrics in any heartfelt way. On the other hand, play it to your friends and enjoy the songs disturbed comedic value with literary lines such as:
“I’m about to twinkle and touch your soul / Once I enter into your black hole”
Girl I promise this will be painless / We’ll take a trip to planet Uranus”
“Don’t trip I got a giant rocket / Glidin through just hitting your pocket”
“I won’t stop until I give you meteor showers”
With lines like this, I imagine Kelly living on both Music Planet and Comedy Planet but never committing to either. Why would he? He’s smart. Both camps sell him records (50m worldwide to date) and keep him in the public consciousness after all these years despite the sex charges. Try as you might to parody him (As Dave Chappelle did) nobody parodies Kelly better than Kelly himself and that’s why he is both a genius and a comedian. Just don’t play his albums in the bedroom.
MP3
[audio:https://nialler9.com/mp3/R_Kelly_-_Sex_Planet.mp3]
Sex Planet Lyrics
Jupiter
Pluto
Venus and Saturn
I’m leavin Earth girl to explore your galaxy
Ten to zero
Blast off here we go
We’ll climax until we reach Mercury
Girl, Tell me are you ready girl
To take a trip out of this world
I guarantee you’ll like it
It’ll take your breath away
Gonna get you so excited
Once I’ve tasted your milky way
Girl spend the night come take a flight with me
Out into space
Girl you’re sending me these sexual energies
And i gotta grab it
Right now I’ve gotta have it
Shooting stars, a trip to Mars
I can get us there from where we are
So don’t trip i got a giant rocket
Glidin through just hitting your pocket
Chorus:
Sex planet
Come fly away with me
Right in my ecstacy
Out in the galaxy
Sex planet
Get ready for take off babe(hmmm)
Have a safe trip babe
Now is just us both
I’ve got the control
In the middle of darkness
Girl relax and just flow
I’m about to twinkle and touch your soul
Once I enter into your black hole(baby uhh)
Girl now that you’re next to me
We will be just like satellites
Watching over the Earth
We’ll make space our paradise
Girl I promise this will be painless(painless)
We’ll take a trip to planet Uranus
Uh just put your trust in me
And girl I promise destination
will be a trip that you will never forget
I’m gonna take you out of this world
So hold on tight my dear
I’m about to take you out of here
And get you to my Sex planet
Chorus:
Sex planet
Come fly away with me
Right in my ecstasy
Out in the galaxy
Sex planet
Get ready for take off babe(hmmm)
Have a safe trip babe
Ohh
We’ll stick a flag on the Moon
First couple to ever make love on planet Neptune(uuhh)
And if time allow us
We’ll be gone for hours
I won’t stop until i give you meteor showers
So if you want it say Uhh
And if you need it say uhh
If you really gotta have it say uhh
And you want me to take you to space
Chorus: (2x)
Sex planet
Come fly away with me
Right in my ecstasy
Out in the galaxy
Sex planet
Get ready for take off babe(hmmm)
Have a safe trip babe
So get ready for lift off babe
Get ready for lift off babe
(Kells): You ready?
(Girl): Yeah
(Kells): Hold on to this
(Kells): Here we go
Our mind is ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…
Babe
Start our engines…
And now flyyyy slow
Uhh uhh baby (Flyyyy slow)
Say it feels so good
Girl when we (Flyyyy slow)
See my rocket is so full of fuel baby
Yes it (is Flyyyy slow)
Therefore
We can ride all through the night
(Flyyyy slow)
We won’t stop babe
We won’t stop babe
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
He’s just an entertainer that discovered that a little bit of over the top perversity could separate him from the rather homogenous R&B pack. I also think to make sure he gets his music on the radio, he has to make the innuendos hilarious so the more carnal lyrics are treated lighter. That said, Real Talk is the best song on the new album. He sounds like he worked himself into a lather singing that one.
He’s just an entertainer that discovered that a little bit of over the top perversity could separate him from the rather homogenous R&B pack. I also think to make sure he gets his music on the radio, he has to make the innuendos hilarious so the more carnal lyrics are treated lighter. That said, Real Talk is the best song on the new album. He sounds like he worked himself into a lather singing that one.
Somehow, R. Kelly has tapped into something that appeals to millions of people, that being ass I suppose. I’ve never been a fan of his music, it’s just too ridiculous.
Somehow, R. Kelly has tapped into something that appeals to millions of people, that being ass I suppose. I’ve never been a fan of his music, it’s just too ridiculous.
I believe he believes he can actually fly. I believe he believes he can actually touch the sky. I believe he thinks about it every night and day. I believe he believes he could actually spread his wings and fly away…
You see what I’m doing here. The man is a necessary lunatic. R ‘n’ B would be boring without him.
I believe he believes he can actually fly. I believe he believes he can actually touch the sky. I believe he thinks about it every night and day. I believe he believes he could actually spread his wings and fly away…
You see what I’m doing here. The man is a necessary lunatic. R ‘n’ B would be boring without him.
R Kelly is a comical genius, how else can u explain the line ‘girl im ready to toss your salad’ in ‘sex in the kitchen’
R Kelly is a comical genius, how else can u explain the line ‘girl im ready to toss your salad’ in ‘sex in the kitchen’
funny.
musical.
genius.
if only he would use his powers to heal the world.
funny.
musical.
genius.
if only he would use his powers to heal the world.
this guy is illiterate.
and he is an absolute fucking genius.
he has been around for aeons! remember “vibe” anyone. how any artist did that new jack swing type dancing and lived to fight not just another day but about 20 years longer, well that’s genius in itself.
and then the “trapped in the closet series”, ask yourself, when you see those do you not think “this is the most unexpected, unbelievable, most ridiculous thing to happen in pop music in living memory”.
he knows the side of him in which his appeal lies and he single mindedly exploits that to the hilt.
GENIUS/LEGEND.
this guy is illiterate.
and he is an absolute fucking genius.
he has been around for aeons! remember “vibe” anyone. how any artist did that new jack swing type dancing and lived to fight not just another day but about 20 years longer, well that’s genius in itself.
and then the “trapped in the closet series”, ask yourself, when you see those do you not think “this is the most unexpected, unbelievable, most ridiculous thing to happen in pop music in living memory”.
he knows the side of him in which his appeal lies and he single mindedly exploits that to the hilt.
GENIUS/LEGEND.
‘R-Kelly-Genius or Comedian?’ Nah-paedophile.
I genuinely cannot believe how willing rap/RnB heads are to work with the guy.
Surely his actual musical ability (which i can appreciate) is irrelevant when he’s such an unabashed freak?
‘R-Kelly-Genius or Comedian?’ Nah-paedophile.
I genuinely cannot believe how willing rap/RnB heads are to work with the guy.
Surely his actual musical ability (which i can appreciate) is irrelevant when he’s such an unabashed freak?
Wow. I wish someone would serenade me with a song like this. It’s like…so…cosmically romantic…
Wow. I wish someone would serenade me with a song like this. It’s like…so…cosmically romantic…
9, I’ll have you up in front of the Dean for plagiarism. Where’s my citation?
“D. Holland, pers. comm., 23/6/2007”
Twas the same with vex’d. Man-king of the bloggers is a TYRANT!
Let’s drink and shout tonight, then give Co a cuddle.
9, I’ll have you up in front of the Dean for plagiarism. Where’s my citation?
“D. Holland, pers. comm., 23/6/2007”
Twas the same with vex’d. Man-king of the bloggers is a TYRANT!
Let’s drink and shout tonight, then give Co a cuddle.
R Kelly is a talented producer and musician, classically trained in opera, and considered by many to be one of the best r&b acts of all time. I have known this dude for years, and he is a funny, cool guy in real life, who does normal stuff just like everyone else.
The media has a funny way of telling you 1/2 of the story, and people are quick to judge. When you are a celebrity, the world is not the same place for you as “Average Joes”
Eventually, people will forget the press and all the shenanigan’s, and the music will be left to tell it’s own story. Let’s not forget the antics of Marvin Gaye or Rick James.
I guess what I am saying is I don’t think you have to say “Comedian OR Genius,” as I think they can be one in the same. The bottom line is this guy sells records. A lot of them. I believe that after time, R Kelly will be right there in the music history books with the best of them.
R Kelly is a talented producer and musician, classically trained in opera, and considered by many to be one of the best r&b acts of all time. I have known this dude for years, and he is a funny, cool guy in real life, who does normal stuff just like everyone else.
The media has a funny way of telling you 1/2 of the story, and people are quick to judge. When you are a celebrity, the world is not the same place for you as “Average Joes”
Eventually, people will forget the press and all the shenanigan’s, and the music will be left to tell it’s own story. Let’s not forget the antics of Marvin Gaye or Rick James.
I guess what I am saying is I don’t think you have to say “Comedian OR Genius,” as I think they can be one in the same. The bottom line is this guy sells records. A lot of them. I believe that after time, R Kelly will be right there in the music history books with the best of them.
Your article is brilliant. I’m a number one fan and I’ve never heard anyone talking so positive about him. I think you’re totally right and that his lyrics are hilarious!
Greets from the Netherlands,
Laurie
Your article is brilliant. I’m a number one fan and I’ve never heard anyone talking so positive about him. I think you’re totally right and that his lyrics are hilarious!
Greets from the Netherlands,
Laurie
he’s both to me.. most definitely a musical genius… writing and producing all his own stuff.. playing most the instruments.. released albums consistently and had tons of hits.. singing i believe i can fly straight faced next to sex in the kitchen.. i love kellz
hILLARIOUS. I’M FROM CHI, AND HE’S A FUCKIN CRANK. BUT HE IS A GENIUS COMEDIAN AND MUSICIAN. i AM A MUSICIAN THAT HE HAS STOLEN FROM AND I STILL CAN APPRECIATE HIS OBVIOUS TALENT. HOW ELSE CAN U XPLAIN FEELIN ON YA BOO HOO TY!!, BOO HOO TY!!”, AND gIRL I WANT TO TOSS YO SALAD!!”?