Click here for an excellent article about R. Kelly from a July 2007 issue of The New Yorker, written by Sasha Frere-Jones. It explores the strangeness of R. Kelly's professional decisions since he was arrested for child pornography and/or having sex with a 14 year old in 2002.
While repeatedly swearing his innocence, R. has stepped up his rate of album releases and, as we know all too well, made no attempt to curb sexual content in his songs. If anything his songs have gotten more raunchy since his legal trouble began, the sexaphors flying at a rate so high it takes a whole blog to keep up with them.
As Frere-Jones points out, "Many people facing serious criminal charges related to sexual conduct would not include a song called “Sex Planet” on their CD, or, if they did, would probably omit the line about a 'trip to planet Uranus.'"She wonders what we've all been wondering- is R. laughing with us or is he just crazy? "In a move that is either sheer gall or evidence that Kelly may not be aware of the gravity of his legal situation, he begins one verse with the words 'I swear to tell the truth and the whole truth.'"
But the main reason I like this article is that she's not merely pointing out R.'s misguided lyric writing in the face of a criminal trial, she's also very aware of the genius of R. Kelly. "Kelly’s persona is off-putting, but it is hard not to be taken by his talent." She says his delivery is "rhythmically articulate and harmonically rich. Random words are isolated, harmonized, and sent in unexpected directions..." Which is all true, and I'm glad that in a publication as revered as The New Yorker, R.'s musical effectiveness is at least mentioned.
She calls his songs, "artlessly horny but effective sex songs", which I think we can all agree is the highest praise R. Kelly could ever ask for.
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2 comments:
I looked deeper into the lyrics of "sex planet". it seems to be filled with metaphor. the line you refer to about uranus, where he employs the word "painless" to set up the verse, is the easiest to decipher - it means they will take caution when traveling through the dark, deadly rings that surround the planet. I guess he's imagining a time in the distant future where such a trip would even be feasible. who knew r. kelly was such a dreamer?
Well, that settles it. If the New Yorker is behind him too, I'm going with my gut. I've got to find an appropriate R. song for the upcoming Canopy reunion show for Valentine's Day. Right?? any suggestions welcome.
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