East African Business Week (Kampala)
31 October 2009
Many Zain Uganda adverts (One of the telecommunication giants) have been telling us to guess who is coming to Uganda soon and win. They gave clues like; "He wears a Zorro mask, his middle name is Sylvester and recently had a hair cut."
All the clues point to R. Kelly and when the telecom group confirms his tour, this will be his second time to visit Africa. Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967), best known by the stage name R. Kelly, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, occasional rapper, and record producer.
Debuting in 1992 with the group Public Announcement, Kelly went solo in 1993 for a successful solo career starting with the album, 12 Play. Kelly is known for a collection of hit singles including "Bump n' Grind", "I Believe I Can Fly", "Gotham City", "Ignition", "If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time",
"The World's Greatest", and the hip-hopera "Trapped in the Closet." This hit-making artist and songwriter R. Kelly made his first tour of the African continent a few months back, courtesy of his participation in the ARISE African Fashion Awards.
The awards show and gala took place in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 20. The inaugural R. Kelly concert also served as a close out to Africa Fashion Week, and kickoff of a multi-city tour that spans South Africa, Nigeria, and London.
Kelly has also produced and performed in many tracks by other R&B and hip-hop artists.
In 1994, Kelly produced and wrote the debut album of R&B singer Aaliyah whom it is alleged he defiled when she was 14 and in 1995, Kelly produced and co-wrote the song 'You Are Not Alone' for Michael Jackson, which was later included in Jackson's album, HIStory. Kelly has sung the hooks for many notable hip-hop songs, such as "Lovin' You Tonight" by The Notorious B.I.G., "We Thuggin'" by Fat Joe, "Gigolo" by Nick Cannon, and "Go Getta" by Young Jeezy, and has collaborated for two albums with Jay-Z.
In his personal life, Kelly has had several sex scandals. Reports surfaced that he married the then-teenaged Aaliyah, for whom he was a songwriter. Kelly and Aaliyah allegedly annulled their marriage.
After a video of a man purported to be him having sex with an underage girl was released, Kelly was indicted on several counts of child pornography in 2002.
After several delays, his case went to trial in 2008, with the jury ruling Kelly not guilty on all 14 counts. Such is the power of a star in the face of the law! Get ready for the super star.
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