Born Robert Kelly on the south side of Chicago, R. Kelly dropped out of high school to perform as a subway musician, but eventually won the $100,000 prize on the television talent show Big Break.
He signed with Jive Records in 1991 and released the album Born into the 90s with his group Public Announcement; in 1993, R. Kelly released his solo debut, 12 Play, which was eventually certified six times platinum.
At the same time, the singer began a career producing records for others, including the debut album of the teenaged pop singer Aaliyah.
In 1995, his album R. Kelly sold four million copies; soon after, his single I Believe I Can Fly topped the charts and won three Grammy Awards.
R. Kelly released a series of multiple-platinum albums in the 2000s, as well as the multi-part hip-hop opera Trapped in the Closet, which he released to radio stations in short portions, and the next portion of which is due out in the spring of 2010.
In 1994, R. Kelly married the then-18-year-old Aaliyah, though the marriage was later annulled.
R. Kelly went on to marry dancer Andrea Lee in 1996; the couple had three children before divorcing in 2009.
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