American singer, Robert Sylvester Kelly, popularly known as R. Kelly, has been ranked ninth on Billboard’s list of the greatest R&B singers of all time.
This week, Kelly’s vocal range, songwriting skills, and enduring impact on R&B music from the 1990s to 2000s were praised by Billboard on its official website.
According to the journal, he distinguished himself early in his career with his breakthrough debut album “12 Play,” which included singles like “Bump n’ Grind.” Written for the Space Jam movie soundtrack, Kelly’s 1996 hit song “I Believe I Can Fly” also achieved widespread praise and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Despite a 30-year prison sentence in 2022 over sex trafficking and racketeering charges, Billboard described Kelly as “a generational talent and innovator,” highlighting his contributions to bridging R&B, soul, pop and rap genres.
“From a purely musical perspective, there’s no denying that Kelly is one of the best contemporary R&B artists to ever pick up a microphone,” the post read in part.
Kelly also wrote hit songs for music legends including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Aaliyah, and Britney Spears.
His popular songs such as “Ignition (Remix)” and “Trapped in the Closet” further showed his legacy as a creative force in the music industry.