R. Kelly superfans: 'Untitled' pushed back but big fans still with him all the way

Keyonia Jones (CQ) 24, of Chicago holds a picture of her next to artist R. Kelly outside of the courthouse at 26th and California in her home on Saturday, September 26, 2009. This photograph was taken in March and ran in the Chicago Sun-Times. MICHAEL JARECKI/FOR RED EYE

"I've been a fan for so long," Jones told RedEye. "He's mainly my only artist. I really don't think no one could live up to what he does."

The singer might need superfans like Jones. The star, who has a talent for blending hip-hop and soul with unbridled raunchiness, has been flying under the radar since the trial ended in June 2008. Though he has laid low in the Chicago music scene, Kelly held at least one private listening of "Untitled" this summer in Chicago. An MTV reporter in attendance reported the album features yodeling and breakup ballads but no mention of his past legal troubles. Through his spokesman, Kelly declined an interview with RedEye.

Kelly disciples are known to separate his music from his personal life, but some hip-hop experts say this album has generated little buzz, which may hurt the singer's longstanding reputation as a hitmaker.

"He really needs a big record this time around. A lot of the stuff that has been leaked so far ... is not really catching on. None of it has really popped the way it should have," said Andrew Barber, who runs fakeshoredrive.com, a Chicago hip-hop blog. "He's known to do cutting-edge records."

Barber said he doesn't expect R. Kelly's new album to be a "monumental comeback" for the artist but not because of the trial. The singer has a "very solid fan base," especially among women, who appreciate his ballads, Barber said. In Barber's estimation, Kelly's problem is that, on this album, he follows trends instead of creating new ones, "which is something he's always done," Barber said.

Kelly's obsessive fans, like Jones, say that Kelly is known for albums that capture the listener's attention from start to finish. Most stalwart fans say they have followed the Chicago-born singer since he debuted his first solo album, "12 Play," in 1993. "Bump n' Grind" off that album topped R&B charts for more than three months. He followed that up with "I Believe I Can Fly" on the "Space Jam" soundtrack in 1996 and "Ignition" on the "Chocolate Factory" album in 2003.

But for the many highs in his career, there have been the many lows in his personal life. He allegedly married singer Aaliyah, now deceased, in the mid-1990s when she was 15 and he was 27. In 2003, he was arrested on child pornography charges that were later dropped. In 2006, an ex-employee sued Kelly saying the singer assaulted him. In 2008, Kelly stood trial on charges he had sex with a 14-year-old girl, an act that was allegedly caught on videotape. The jury took less than a day to acquit Kelly on the 14 counts of child pornography.

Loop resident Mike Compton, who said he's been a Kelly fan since "Space Jam," said the trial and Kelly's other alleged skirmishes haven't affected his fandom.

"You just really never know what's true and what's not. If I like the music, I like the music," said Compton, 26, who added that he plans to get Kelly's new album as soon as it comes out.

Kelly has been fairly quiet in the weeks and months leading up to the album release. He appeared on Jimmy Kimmel's show in September, and he's granted few interviews. He tweets occasionally from the handle @kellzodiac but his Twitter fan base of 27,000 followers doesn't come close to the e-buzz amassed by other celebrities.

"You type him in YouTube, there's not really anything going on with him," Compton said.
No news is not good news for Kelly. The singer once famous for salacious sex rumors is now making yawn headlines for brushing off comments from Trey Songz calling Kelly an old man.

Nevertheless, he still is very popular with Keyonia Jones, a Robert Morris University student who missed school to watch the Kelly trial. Jones, who was interested in criminal justice before the trial, said Kelly's acquittal has inspired her to be a criminal defense attorney.

"I found the whole thing unfair," Jones said. "I don't think that hurt his reputation. If you were a fan you're going to be a fan regardless."