R Kelly is a singer, songwriter, and record producer from Chicago. When he published his debut album, “Born Into the ’90s,” he became well-known. From then, he pursued rapping and is now regarded as one of the greatest vocalists and songwriters of all time, with songs like “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition.”
R. Kelly recently made headlines when he dropped a new 19-minute song detailing his financial situation.
Early Years And Professional Beginnings
On January 8, 1967, Robert Sylvester Kelly was born on Chicago’s south side. He left high school to become a musician on the train. He received a $100,000 award on the talent competition television show Big Break, which gave him his big break. In 1993, Kelly and his band Public Announcement released the album “Born into the 90s” after signing a contract with Jive Records in 1991.
Success
R. Kelly released his first solo album, “12 Play,” in November 1993. The album finally received a six-time platinum certification, mostly because of the track “Bump n’ Grind.”
Kelly started a career as a record producer for other musicians at the same time. The whole debut album of the adolescent pop artist Aaliyah was written and produced by him.
Four million copies of his record “R. Kelly” were sold in 1995. His song “I Believe I Can Fly” shot to the top of the charts and garnered three Grammy Awards shortly after. In the 2000s, Kelly put out a number of multi-platinum albums in addition to the multi-part hip-hop opera Trapped in the Closet, which he gave radio stations in bits and pieces. In the spring of 2010, the whole version was formally made available to the public.
R Kelly has 14 studio albums, 5 compilation albums, and 3 collaborative albums to his credit. Kelly has earned numerous honors, including numerous AMAs, a BET award, and numerous Billboard awards, in addition to his three Grammys. “Black Panties” and “The Buffet,” his most recent albums, were released in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Additionally, from 1994 to 2013, he took part in 12 worldwide official tours.
Individual Life
Although the union was later dissolved, Kelly secretly wed Aaliyah in 1994. Later, in 1996, he wed dancer Andrea Lee; they had three kids before divorcing in 2009.
The Wealth of R Kelly
American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer R. Kelly also produces music. R Kelly has a $2 million negative net worth. Kelly’s net worth at his height was likely in the tens of millions, if not up to $100 million. In an effort to get out of prison, Kelly told the judge in April 2020 that he owed the IRS alone around $1.9 million in back taxes.
Controversies
Over the years, R Kelly’s career has had its fair share of controversy. He was taken into custody and accused of having intercourse with a minor. Ultimately, all 14 allegations against him were dropped.
Loss of Fortune
R. Kelly’s net worth might have easily surpassed $50–100 million if he had never run into any legal issues. Tens of millions of dollars have purportedly been paid by Kelly over the years to supposedly settle dozens of lawsuits filed by women who claimed the singer had abused them.
After divorcing Andrea Lee, his wife from 1996 to 2009—the most prosperous years of his career—Kelly reportedly lost a significant amount of his wealth.
It was discovered in 2012 that Kelly owed $5 million in past taxes spanning seven years. He hadn’t made a mortgage payment since 2010, and as a result, his Chicago home went into foreclosure in 2013. He was kicked out of two properties in the Atlanta area in 2018 for failing to make more than $30,000 in outstanding rent and fees.
He had a townhouse in Chicago’s Trump Tower that he had rented at one point in recent years.
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Legal and Financial Issues
R. Kelly addressed many of his claims in a 19-minute song that he put out on Spotify in July 2018. Kelly alleged in this song that she is in need of touring “simply to pay the rent.” He also acknowledges having once owed the IRS $20 million and had to borrow several million dollars from his record company to cover expenses.
His financial difficulties are made worse by the fact that he is unable to tour in many other nations due to his controversies, and that protesters frequently prevent him from performing in the United States. Additionally, his tracks are no longer available on Spotify and other streaming platforms’ public playlists.
On Spotify, users can still listen to his tracks from their own accounts, but they won’t be featured in any radio channels or publicly accessible playlists like Discover Weekly.
After learning that the facility had undergone several alterations without licenses, Chicago building inspectors were given permission to examine R. Kelly’s recording studio in January 2019. R. Kelly has been renting the studio since 2017, not buying it. At the time of the inspection, the 8000-square foot structure had a $4 million asking price. R. Kelly was the target of a lawsuit brought by the building owner for unpaid rent at the same time. Kelly owed seven months’ worth of rent, which was $23,000 per month, according to the lawsuit. At the time of the petition, he owed the landlord $167,000 in rent.
R. Kelly’s record company, RCA/Sony, said on January 14 that they were postponing all of his upcoming music releases, thereby cutting off Kelly’s ability to make additional money. He currently owes RCA/Sony two additional albums under his most recent record deal. Additionally, RCA/Sony has declined to fund brand-new music videos. Because Kelly hasn’t been found guilty of any crimes as of the time of this writing, the label is in a difficult situation.
To terminate him and withhold money based on accusations would appear to be difficult legally. There is a risk that RCA/Sony could exploit a “morals clause” in his contract as a way out of the agreement.
R. Kelly was taken into custody on a number of brand-new charges in late February 2019. A $100,000 contribution would have been sufficient to cover his $1 million bails. Unfortunately, Kelly’s lack of funds meant that it took him several days to come up with the cash.
According to reports, the $100,000 actually came from a Valencia Love, whose exact connection to R. Kelly is unknown. While Kelly was incarcerated, Andrea, his ex-wife, filed a lawsuit demanding $160,000 in overdue child support.
