R. Kelly might be behind bars but still has an unstoppable passion for music. The beleaguered R&B icon recently told of his life behind bars, how he lives with an “incurable disease,” and how it remains a part of his world. But it’s not the kind of sickness that one might think, but his unstoppable, unquenchable desire to make music.
“..It’s a beautiful disease that’s uncurable,” Kelly admitted in a candid chat on the Inmate Tea with A&P podcast. “That’s not going to stop. “I don’t give an expletive where I’m at as long as I’m alive, so I’m always singing and writing.”
Despite walls closing around his body, his mind has been free, and he has spilled lyrics and melodies. This has added up to an astounding 25 albums written from the inside. It’s a staggering assertion that reflects the deep well of creativity he has continued to draw from, even as he faces his own legal problems.
Though his personal and legal struggles have eclipsed his once-thriving music career, Kelly’s fan base has stayed surprisingly loyal. His music catalog is still prospering on streaming services (with more than 3 billion total Spotify streams by early 2025). The numbers are staggering: an average of 782,000 listens a day, and classics like “Ignition” alone serve up north of 645 million streams, averaging over 100,000 plays daily.
The impact of his enduring popularity has been financially huge. In December 2024, royalties from his music were used to pay a hefty $500,000 federal judgment, nearly $380,000 of which was restitution payments. Even behind bars, his music generates income, enabling him to pay his legal debts while keeping a hand in the world that once designated him the “King of R&B.”
R. Kelly has continued to release music despite his legal problems continuing to define him. In 2022, he was given a 30-year prison term on racketeering and sex trafficking charges in New York. A year later, a Chicago court tacked on another 20 years for the child pornography and enticement charges. But, with 19 of those years running concurrently, only one more was tacked on to where his incarceration now runs into his mid-80s.
Last month, a federal appeals court affirmed his original convictions in the case, cementing that if he does get out, it will unlikely be any time soon. Still, Kelly remains hopeful.
“Right now, I’m just trying to get out and get back to what God gave me my talent to do,” he said. “That’s what I’m working on right now; that’s what I’m waiting on right now.”
For years, R. Kelly’s legacy has been ensnared in controversy. His impact on R&B is undeniable, but his legal struggles have complicated his presence in music. His continued musical productivity from behind bars provokes challenging questions: can an artist’s work be separated from their deeds? And how will R. Kelly be remembered in history?
The “incurable disease” that is music still flows through his veins, even from prison. But whether the world is prepared to hear it, well, that’s unknown.
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