Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

46° Evanston, IL
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

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R. Kelly the psychic

When a grainy home videotape allegedly depicting one of the best-loved R&B singers of the last decade having sex with a 14-year-old girl showed up at the Chicago Sun-Times’ doorstep in February 2002, it looked like R. Kelly had bumped his last bump and grinded his last grind. Soon after the scandal broke, Chicago police charged the singer with 21 counts of child pornography-related offenses, the infamous tape found its way onto the Internet, Kelly’s songs were taken off the radio and his duets album with superstar rapper Jay-Z, “The Best of Both Worlds,” fell flat on the charts. With Murphy’s Law in full effect, everyone counted R. Kelly out, it seemed, except R. Kelly.

Miraculously, merely a year after the tape leaked, the self-proclaimed pied-piper of R&B was back on the charts, surging to No. 1 with his album “Chocolate Factory” selling 532,000 in its first week. The album received critical accolades (even the moral conscience of America, Wal-Mart, gave it a positive review on its website, calling Kelly a true talent) and sold over 2 million copies within 6 months of its release — an impressive figure especially amidst the music industry’s current slump.

So what’s Kelly’s secret to pulling off the ultimate “Behind the Music” comeback? Simply put, the man has an uncanny sense of prophecy. I believe it was Kelly himself who sent that unbelievably controversial tape to the Sun-Times 19 months ago. Was it a cry for help? Not really. Did he send it to the wrong address? No way. Foreseeing the next few years in his mind, R. Kelly plotted out an intricate publicity stunt to position himself as one of pop culture’s true survivors while producing some of the best hits of his career.

Admittedly, there isn’t a barrage of hard evidence to support this new theory, but there are some indisputable eyebrow-raising facts. For example, the sultry lyrics to “Like A Real Freak” of off Kelly’s 2000 album “TP-2.com” could be read as revelatory in relation to the singer’s imminent Internet video stardom. While spouting out line after line of somewhat uncomfortable innuendo, he croons, “Girl, run to your Internet and download me / Get my computer love right off your screen.”

But Kelly could not have made a successful return without the help of three of the best songs he’s ever written, namely “Ignition” (Remix), “Step In the Name of Love” and “Thioa Thoing.” The first single from “Factory,” “Ignition” (Remix) is nothing less than the best R&B song of the year. Riding a laid-back fat-bass beat all the way to the after-party, the song is an immediately memorable ode to thuggin’ that just doesn’t wear out. On the old-school tip, “Step” shows that Kelly can outdo nearly all of his neo-soul contemporaries when it comes to ’70s-style groovy R&B. Encouraging his audience to move in the name of love, the Chicago native effortlessly emulates Marvin Gaye’s sensual hootin’ and hollerin’ to great effect. Finally, Kelly’s brand new hit, “Thioa Thoing” brings the sounds of Japan to the streets of America much like Timbaland brought the Middle East flavor on Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On.” Utilizing a ridiculously catchy Japanese vocal sample for the chorus, Kels produces yet another innovative club banger that could give way to many more Asian-inspired hip-hop hits in the future.

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Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881
R. Kelly the psychic