Urban R&B producer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/songwriter R. Kelly and his supporting band Public Announcement began recording in 1992 at the tailend of the New Jack Swing era, yet he was able to keep much of its sound alive while remaining commercially successful. While he's created a smooth, professional mixture of hip-hop beats, soul-man crooning, and funk, the most distinctive element of Kelly's music is its explicit carnality. Over the course of two albums, the singer has been able to make songs like "Sex Me," "Bump n' Grind," and "Your Body's Callin'" into hits because his production has been seductive enough to sell such blatant come-ons.
Kelly and Public Announcement released their debut album, Born into the '90's, at the beginning of 1992. It was an instant R&B smash, while earning a fair amount of pop airplay; "Honey Love" and "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" were number one R&B hits, while "Dedicated" was his biggest pop hit at number 31. 12 Play, released in the fall of 1993, established R. Kelly as an R&B superstar. The first single pulled from the album, "Sex Me (Parts I & II)," became a gold single and the second, "Bump n' Grind" hit number one on both the pop and R&B charts in 1994; "Bump N' Grind" stayed on the top of the R&B charts for an astonishing 12 weeks, while it logged four weeks at the top of the pop charts. "Your Body's Callin'" was another gold single for Kelly, peaking at number 13 on the pop charts. In 1994, he also produced Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number, the debut album for Aaliyah, a 15-year-old R&B singer from Detroit; it featured two Top Ten pop singles, "Back & Forth" and "At Your Best (You Are Love)." Late in 1994, it was revealed that Kelly and Aaliyah had wed in August. The news sparked a small storm of controversy in the media, yet it didn't appear to hurt the careers of either singer. Kelly wrote and co-produced "You Are Not Alone," the second single from Michael Jackson's HIStory album, which was released in the summer of 1995. The hit "I Believe I Can Fly" followed in 1996. The single later won Grammy Awards for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television.
Biography Provided By AMG (All Music Guide)