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Page 1
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Hidden cameras, scandalous headlines and 21 charges of child pornography ...
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Page 2
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As his legal problems mount, Kelly hooks up with Britney, J. Lo and others ...
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Page 3
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Kelly insists he's no monster, but some fans smash his CDs in protest ...
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Page 4
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Kelly hits it big by toning down the sex talk and revving up 'Ignition' ...
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R. Kelly: In His Own Words
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Mary J. Blige: Love Of My Life
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Ashanti: Inc.credible
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Beyoncé: Genuinely In Love
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B2K: They Just Wanna Luv U
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Browse Bands by Name
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Or enter a band name below to search:
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 Bands Main
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Over the past year and change Kelly's crafted two #1 albums — his own Chocolate Factory and the Isley Brothers' Body Kiss — as well as hits for B2K ("Bump, Bump, Bump," "Girlfriend," "What a Girl Wants"), Ginuwine ("Hell Yeah"), Marques Houston ("Clubbin' ") and Nick Cannon ("Gigolo"), and he's got potentially equally potent cuts slated for upcoming albums by Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Missy Elliott, Jennifer Lopez, Ruben Studdard, the Big Tymers and Tyrese. September's best-of collection The R. in R&B Collection Volume 1 has sold almost 700,000 copies.
"He's still the best in R&B," says 50 Cent, "even with the trouble. ... The other artists that's coming out, half of them it's his song he wrote for them. It's obvious that he's the better, the stronger [artist]."
Before the sex tape story broke, there'd been rumors circulating about his affinity for girls younger than him. In 1998, he settled a civil suit with a woman who claimed he induced her into a sexual relationship at age 17. Just six months before the tape surfaced, he was hit with a similar civil suit, which he later settled.
In 1995 there had been a well-publicized scandal about Kelly marrying a then 15-year-old Aaliyah before getting a quick annulment. Vibe magazine even published a copy of the marriage certificate. Kelly refused to talk about it. Neither Aaliyah nor members of her family spoke about it either, so how could it be true, his fans wondered. Many people simply chose not to believe the rumors and accusers. Here was the most prolific provider of baby-making music. He could have any woman he wanted, so why would he waste his time chasing teenagers? No dirt stuck to Kelly, as he managed to sidestep serious controversy.
When word of the R. Kelly videotape spread, fans and peers again refused to believe. Many who wrote into MTVNews.com's You Tell Us voiced support and wrote off the tape as blackmail or revenge (read the You Tell Us feedback.) But as the weeks progressed, more revelations came to light. A third woman filed a civil suit against Kelly, accusing the singer of having sexual relations with her when she was 16 and even coercing her to have an abortion when she became pregnant. Meanwhile, copies of the sex tape were bootlegged and sold on the streets, online, and even an HMV record store in New York. Supporters began to have doubts.
"When I saw the joint, I was like, 'Whoa,' " P. Diddy said in May 2002. "I mean, the first couple of [scenes], my man was a straight porno star. Then as it got towards the end [of the tape] it was like, 'Whoa, whoa, whoa.' But you don't know unless you were there. ... We have to wait till the truth comes out, and I just pray for him that he has a brighter day coming. I ain't going to abandon him."
Others considered the tape damning evidence.
"The thing is, the tape is not Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee," says Jim DeRogatis, the esteemed Sun-Times music writer who broke the sex tape story. "It's not good time frolics. ... It's not healthy, sexual relations. I'm a rock critic and a journalist who covers pop culture and pop music. I am firmly in support of sex, drugs and rock and roll. That's not what's happening on this tape. What's happening on this tape is much darker and more horrifying."
When Kelly finally sat down to address the situation in May 2002, his comments shed little light on the matter.
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Photo: Jive
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