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R. Kelly is a well-known singer-songwriter, record producer, and former professional basketball player.
He began his career when he first sang for his church when he was eight years old. He grew up on the south side of Chicago to a single mother who was also a singer. In high school, his influential music teacher encouraged him to perform in a high school talent show. In addition, he performed under the L tracks in Chicago. After that brief stint, R. Kelly formed a group of vocalists called MGM.
His first solo release album called 12 Play eventually went platinum six times with a half-dozen chart topping hits like Bump N’ Grind and Your Body’s Callin’.
So how much has the popular rapper/artist made from the beginning of his career to now?
R.Kelly’s Net Worth 2017: $150 Million
R. Kelly’s net worth is estimated to be $150 million. Kelly has released 12 solo studio albums and sold over 100 million records worldwide making him the most successful R&B male artist of the 1990s. No wonder he makes so much bank. Let’s take a look.
1992-2005
Kelly’s first solo album, 12 Play, was released on November 9, 1993 and yielded the singer’s first number-one hit, “Bump N’ Grind”, which spent a record-breaking 12 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. Subsequent hit singles: “Your Body’s Callin'” (U.S. Hot 100: #13, U.S. R&B: #2) and “Sex Me” (U.S. Hot 100: #20, U.S. R&B: #8). Both singles sold 500,000 copies in the United States and were certified Gold by the RIAA. In 1994, 12 Play was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), eventually going six times platinum. On November 26, 1996, Kelly released “I Believe I Can Fly”, an inspirational song originally released on the soundtrack for the film Space Jam. “I Believe I Can Fly” reached No. 2 on the BillboardHot 100, and No. 1 on the UK charts for three weeks and won three Grammy Awards in 1998.
On November 17, 1998, Kelly released his fourth studio album and first double album R.. Musically, the album spans different genres from pop (Celine Dion), street rap (Nas and Jay-Z) to Blues(“Suicide”). In January 2000, Kelly had won Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist at the American Music Awards, and in February, was nominated for several Grammy Awards, including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (“When a Woman’s Fed Up”), Best R&B Album (R.), and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (“Satisfy You”) with P. Diddy.
In May 2002, Kelly’s initial sixth studio album, Loveland, leaked and was delayed to release in November. Instead, Kelly re-recorded the entire album, titled it Chocolate Factory and featured several of the bootlegged tracks on the bonus Loveland disc.
In 2005, Kelly released his seventh studio LP, TP.3 Reloaded. The album included chapters of “Trapped in the Closet“.
2006-2015
On 2006, Kelly started The Light It Up Tour, It later became his first concert DVD.
On May 29, 2007, R Kelly released his eighth studio album Double Up, which included the hit single “I’m a Flirt (Remix)”, featuring T.I. and T-Pain. On June 3, 2009, Kelly released his first ever mixtape, The Demo Tape (Gangsta Grillz) presented by DJ Skee and DJ Drama as a way to reintroduce himself to fans.
In March 2011, Kelly was named the #1 R&B artist of the last 25 years by Billboard. In his career, Kelly has amassed 35 top 10 hits and 11 #1 hits on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On June 26, 2012, Kelly released his eleventh studio album, Write Me Back.
On July 14, 2015, R. Kelly announced that The Buffet will be released September 25, 2015. However, it was later pushed back to December 11, 2015. The album’s first single “Backyard Party” was released August 21, 2015. The album’s second single “Switch Up” was released November 5, 2015.
2016-Present
Originally slated to be released in late 2014, Kelly presented his first Christmas album, and the fourteenth studio album, 12 Nights of Christmas, on October 21, 2016. As of 2017, he has not produced any notable tracks; however, he is still alive and inspiring others with his life stories.
