R. (album)

R.
Studio album by R. Kelly
Released	November 10, 1998
Recorded	1996–1998
Genre	R&B • soul • hip hop soul • gospel • pop
Length	129:40
Label	Jive
Producer	Barry Hankerson (exec.) • R. Kelly • Trackmasters • Cory Rooney • Sean "Puffy" Combs • Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence • Steven "Stevie J" Jordan • G-One • Al West • DeVante Swing
R. Kelly chronology
R. Kelly (1995) R. (1998) TP-2.com (2000)
Singles from R.
"I Believe I Can Fly" Released: 26 November 1996 "Gotham City" Released: 30 June 1997 "I'm Your Angel" Released: 8 August 1998 "Half on a Baby" Released: 11 September 1998 "Home Alone" Released: 30 October 1998 "When a Woman's Fed Up" Released: 27 February 1999 "Did You Ever Think" Released: 25 May 1999 "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" Released: 28 September 1999 "Only the Loot Can Make Me Happy" Released: 23 May 2000

	"I Believe I Can Fly" R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" from R.
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Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[3]
Los Angeles Times	[4]
Q	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]
Spin	(7/10)[8]
Yahoo! Music	(mixed)[9]
Yahoo! Music UK	[10]

R. is the third studio album and the first double album by R&B singer R. Kelly. It was released in the United States on November 10, 1998 (see 1998 in music). This album was the first time Kelly allowed other record producers to produce or co-produce on his album, as opposed to producing the entire album himself, as well as his first time collaborating with various artists on his album. This is currently Kelly's biggest selling album to date, selling 8 million copies in the US according to RIAA and 12.4 million copies worldwide.^[11]

R. went to number one on the R&B albums chart as the third album to do so, and went second place on the Billboard 200 chart with first week sales of 216,000.^[12] It spawned Kelly's second #1 U.S. pop hit, "I'm Your Angel", a duet with Celine Dion. The album also contains the #1 R&B hit, "I Believe I Can Fly," which was released two years earlier on the Space Jam soundtrack.

The album cover uses the same image of R. Kelly from his 12 Play album, but in silhouette form. It is also his first album to contain a parental advisory.

Track listing

All songs written and produced by R. Kelly, except where noted.

Disc one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Home Alone" (featuring Keith Murray)	Robert Kelly, Kelly Price, Keith Murray, G. Archie	G-One	5:00
2.	"Spendin' Money"	Kelly, Ron Lawrence, Sean Combs, Steven Jordan, Price, D. Romani, T. Willoughby	Sean Combs, Amen-Ra, Stevie J	4:54
3.	"If I'm With You"		Trackmasters	4:32
4.	"Half on a Baby"		R. Kelly	4:56
5.	"When a Woman's Fed Up"			4:34
6.	"Get Up on a Room"			4:11
7.	"One Man"			4:57
8.	"We Ride" (featuring Cam'Ron, Noreaga, Vegas Cats, and Jay-Z)	Kelly, Cameron Giles, Victor Santiago, Shawn Carter, Vegas Cats, S. Barnes, J.C. Oliver, M.C. Rooney, Calvin Broadus, Andre Young, H. Casey, R. Finch	Trackmasters	4:50
9.	"The Opera"			1:24
10.	"The Interview"			1:33
11.	"Only the Loot Can Make Me Happy" (featuring Tone of Poke & Tone)		Trackmasters	5:00
12.	"Don't Put Me Out"			5:22
13.	"Suicide"			5:20
14.	"Etcetera"			4:12
15.	"If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time"			6:19
16.	"What I Feel/Issues"			4:45
17.	"I Believe I Can Fly" (International Release)			4:43

Disc two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"The Chase"			2:46
2.	"V.I.P."	Kelly, Dalvin DeGrate, DeVante Swing	DeVante Swing & R. Kelly	4:17
3.	"Did You Ever Think" (featuring Puff Daddy)	Kelly, Curtis Mayfield, J.C. Oliver, S. Barnes	Trackmasters	4:25
4.	"Dollar Bill" (featuring Foxy Brown)		Trackmasters	4:23
5.	"Reality"			4:44
6.	"2nd Kelly"			5:03
7.	"Ghetto Queen" (featuring Crucial Conflict)			4:20
8.	"Down Low Double Life"			5:00
9.	"Looking for Love"			4:37
10.	"Dancing With a Rich Man"			3:30
11.	"I'm Your Angel" (Duet with Céline Dion)			5:32
12.	"Money Makes the World Go Round" (featuring Nas)	Kelly, Nasir Jones, A. Barnes, J. Malone	Trackmasters	4:10
13.	"I Believe I Can Fly (US Release)/Gotham City (International Release)"

Awards & nominations

BMI Awards - 1998 Pop Songwriter of the Year (won for "I Believe I Can Fly," "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)," and "I Don't Want To by Toni Braxton)

Grammy Awards - 1999 Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals (nominated for "I'm Your Angel"), 2000 Best R&B Vocal Performance - Male (nominated for "When a Woman's Fed Up"), 2000 Best R&B Album (nominated)

Soul Train Music Awards - 1999 Best R&B/Soul Single, Male (nominated for "Half On a Baby"), 1999 Sammy Davis Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award (won), 1999 Best R&B/Soul Album, Male (won), 1999 Best R&B/Soul or Rap Album (won)

Personnel

• R. Kelly - arranger, conductor, instruments, keyboards, mixer, producer, writer, main vocals, background vocals
• Keith Murray - vocals
• G-One - arranger, keyboards, mixer, producer, programming
• Chris Puram - mixer
• Kelly Price - background vocals
• Rob Bacon - guitar
• Marek - assistant mix engineer, assistant recording engineer
• Anthony Kilhoffer - assistant recording engineer
• Esther Nevarez - assistant recording engineer
• Dana Walsh - assistant recording engineer
• Sean "Puffy" Combs - producer
• Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence - producer
• Stevie J. - co-producer
• Tony Maserati - mixer
• Jimmie Lee Patterson - assistant mix engineer
• Champ - assistant recording engineer
• Tone - co-producer, producer, background vocals, programming
• Poke - co-producer, producer, programming
• Stephen George - mixer, programming
• Greg Landfair - guitar
• Kendall D. Nesbitt - additional keyboards
• Antonio L. Daniels - additional keyboards
• Roy Hamilton - drum programming, vocoder programming
• Blake Chaffin - programming
• Brian Calicchia - assistant mix engineer
• Jeff Vereb - assistant mix engineer, assistant recording engineer
• LaFayette Carthon, Jr. - additional keyboards, background vocals, conductor
• Paul J. Falcone - programming
• Jason Groucott - assistant mix engineer
• Brian Garten - assistant recording engineer, programming
• Sparkle - background vocals
• UB Tirado - assistant mix engineer
• Jeffrey Lane - assistant mix engineer, assistant recording engineer
• Stan Wood - assistant recording engineer
• Bryon Rickerson - assistant recording engineer
• Mark Johnson - assistant mix engineer
• Greg Thompson - assistant mix engineer
• Cory Rooney - co-producer, additional keyboards
• Kevin Crouse - mixer
• Chris Ribando - assistant recording engineer
• Cam'Ron - vocals
• Noreaga - vocals
• Shawn Carter - vocals
• Vegas Cats - vocals
• Joey Donnatello - mixer, programming
• Ron Lowe - assistant mix engineer
• Jason Goldstein - assistant recording engineer
• Paul Riser - arranger, conductor, orchestrator, strings
• Hart Holliman - arranger, conductor, orchestrator
• The Motown Romance Orchestra - arranging, strings and horns
• Keith Henderson - guitar
• Blackie - background vocals
• Rock - background vocals
• Chris Brickley - assistant recording engineer
• Tony Gonzalez - assistant recording engineer
• Bruce Kelly - background vocals
• Tony Black - additional engineering, digital editing
• Jason Bacher - assistant recording engineer
• Trey Fratt - assistant recording engineer
• Rick Behrens - assistant recording engineer
• Cynthia Jernigan - additional writing
• Nathan Dean - assistant mix engineer, assistant recording engineer
• Eric N. Yoder - programming
• Deatia Staples - background vocals
• Keisha Wallace - background vocals
• Lamont Smith - background vocals
• Shawn L. Lawson - background vocals
• Marjette J. Alston - background vocals
• Bryant M. Lee - background vocals
• Suzan Chatims - background vocals
• Denise Purkett - background vocals
• Reynonda McFarland - background vocals
• Monique Whittington - background vocals
• Opal Staples - background vocals
• Angela Clayton-Lawson - background vocals
• Foxy Brown - vocals
• Al West - co-producer, keyboards
• Rich Travali - mixer
• Chuck Bailey - assistant mix engineer
• Jon Heidelberger - assistant recording engineer
• Johnny Allen - assistant to the conductor
• J. Squillace - orchestra recording assistant
• Crucial Conflict - vocals
• Todd Parker - assistant mix engineer
• Ruth Varella - assistant recording engineer
• Edward Tucker - background vocals
• Russell Hinton - background vocals
• Michael McCoy - assistant mix engineer
• Humberto Gatica - mixer
• Rob Mathes - arranger, conductor
• Loris Holland - additional keyboards, background vocals, conductor, Hammond B-3 Organ
• Steve Skinner - keyboards, drum programming
• Jeff Bova - additional keyboard programming
• Jimmy Bralower - drum programming
• Jeffrey Morrow - background vocals
• Yvonne Gage - background vocals
• Cheryl Wilson - background vocals
• Joan Walton - background vocals
• Robert Bowker - background vocals
• Johnny Rutledge - background vocals
• Robin Robinson - background vocals
• Rob Trow - background vocals
• Cathy Richardson - background vocals
• Anthony Ransom - background vocals
• Lisa Lougheed - background vocals
• Stevie Robinson - background vocals
• Tawatha Agee - background vocals
• Troy Bright - background vocals
• Dennis Collins - background vocals
• Ayana George - background vocals
• Diva Gray - background vocals
• Nancey Jackson - background vocals
• Latasha Jordon - background vocals
• Paulette McWilliams - background vocals
• Robert Moe - background vocals
• Fonzi Thornton - background vocals
• Spencer Washington - background vocals
• Elizabeth Withers - background vocals
• Don Hachey - assistant recording engineer
• Céline Dion - vocals, background vocals
• Bill Douglass - assistant recording engineer
• Jason Stasium - assistant recording engineer
• Chris Brooke - assistant recording engineer
• Brian Callicha - assistant recording engineer
• Jake Ninan - assistant recording engineer
• Nasir Jones - vocals
• "The Luv Club" Choir - background vocals
• Percy Bady - director, keyboards
• Tom Recchion - art direction and design
• Jackie Murphy - photo shoot/art coordination
• Reisig & Taylor - photography
• June Ambrose - stylist
• Mode Squad - stylist
• Robin Hannibal - groomer
• Aliesh Peirce - groomer
• TAR - original cover photo
• Kenneth Halsband - location manager
• Bruce Goldman - location manager
• Leon Adair - location manager
• Beata Rosenbaum - casting
• Michael Anthony - make-up
• Reginald Payton - car shots
• Howard Simmons - interior shots
• Barry Hankerson - executive producer
• 'Big Bass' Brian Gardner - mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, California

Charts and certifications

Charts Chart (1998) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 65 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] 45 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] 5 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] 9 Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[17] 3 French Albums (SNEP)[18] 17 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 8 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[20] 27 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 33 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 26 UK Albums (OCC)[23] 27 US Billboard 200[24] 2 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[25] 1

Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Belgium (IFPI) Platinum 20,000 Canada (CRIA) Platinum 100,000 France (SNEP) 2x Gold 200,000 Germany (IFPI) Gold 250,000 Netherlands (NVPI) Platinum 70,000 Switzerland (IFPI) Gold 25,000 United Kingdom (BPI) Platinum 347,173[26] United States (RIAA)[27] 8x Platinum 8,000,000 Summaries Europe (IFPI) Platinum 1,000,000 ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Samples

• "V.I.P." contains a sample of "Alone" composed by Donald and Dalvin DeGrate and performed by Jodeci from the album Diary of a Mad Band

Songs sampled in future songs:

• "When a Woman's Fed Up"
  • "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" by Nas from the album I Am...
• "Did You Ever Think"
  • "Streets Love Me" by Foxy Brown from the album Ill Na Na 2: The Fever
  • "The Quan" by Foxy Brown from the album Brooklyn's Don Diva

Covers

• Palestinian rap group DAM has covered "Did You Ever Think".

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1998 (U.S.)

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "R. Kelly: R. > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
2. Christgau, Robert. "R. Kelly". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
3. Browne, David (13 November 1998). "R.". Entertainment Weekly (#458).
4. "Top Pop Albums". Los Angeles Times. 3 December 1998. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
5. "R. [PA]". chapters.indigo.ca. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
6. Sheffield, Rob (26 November 1998). "R. Kelly: R.". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13.
7. Brackett, Nathan (2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th, revised ed.). Topeka Bindery. ISBN 978-1-4176-6326-2. Portions posted at "R. Kelly: Album Guide". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
8. "R. Kelly - R. CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved 3 September 2011.
9. http://music.yahoo.com/read/review/12034280. Retrieved January 19, 2009. Missing or empty |title= (help)
10. "R. Kelly - 'R.'". Yahoo! Music UK. 26 October 1998. Archived from the original on 2004-09-13.
11. "rkellynews - ♛: Worldwide Album Sales". rkellynews.blogspot.com.
12. "Alanis Holds Off R. Kelly". E! Online. 18 November 1998.
13. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
14. "Austriancharts.at – R. Kelly – R." (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
15. "Ultratop.be – R. Kelly – R." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
16. "Ultratop.be – R. Kelly – R." (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
17. "Dutchcharts.nl – R. Kelly – R." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
18. "Lescharts.com – R. Kelly – R.". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
19. "Offiziellecharts.de – R. Kelly – R." (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
20. "Norwegiancharts.com – R. Kelly – R.". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
21. "Swedishcharts.com – R. Kelly – R.". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
22. "Swisscharts.com – R. Kelly – R.". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
23. "R Kelly | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart
24. "R. Kelly – Chart history" Billboard 200 for R. Kelly.
25. "R. Kelly – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for R. Kelly. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
26. Jones, Alan (December 18, 2015). "Official Charts Analysis: X Factor misses Top 2 debut for the first time ever". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved December 18, 2015. (subscription required (help)).
27. "RIAA - Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - September 11, 2015". http://www.riaa.com. External link in |work= (help)