R. Kelly: The Troubled Man

In each generation there is an artist that absolutely blows your mind. Their talent is hard to measure and to a degree, it’s difficult to fathom the level of skills they possess. Like the old saying goes, some people just have that “IT Factor.” With great gifts and blessings comes responsibility, leadership, mentorship along with professionalism. I also believe the great ones deal with the gift and curse of their own ability. It’s like being so great that it almost drive you crazy or mad. In the story of Robert Kelly, there are so many levels to his genius and madness. As a fan of music, his trials and tribulations remind me of Marvin Gaye to a degree. I believe artist of their caliber get bored with making music at times because it comes so easy. With an effortless and flawless ability to create classic music comes “idol time” that can enhance the artist or destroy their legacy.

As I gather my thoughts, let me first say that R. Kelly is possibly the most talented musician since Prince and Michael Jackson. In the history of modern music, one could argue and debate that R. Kelly is on the same level as Stevie Wonder, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and the previously mentioned Marvin Gaye in terms of range. R. Kelly has the amazing ability to take listeners on a variety of spiritual journeys. R. Kelly can make the fans dance, take them to Church, provide them with inspiration and force listeners to embrace a variety of styles. To be quite frank, R. Kelly can mimic, create and master any style of music. There is no genre off limits to his unique gift. I mean, who can go from “I Believe I Can Fly” to a track with Jay-z and Cam’ron? Well, I can tell you with confidence that R. Kelly is truly one of a kin