R. Kelly was the MAN in the 90s. If he sang it, the song was a hit. From his solo debut in 1993 until around 2001, he released a string of hits that earned him the nickname the "King of R&B". Some the songs he recorded, and which you probably had on infinite repeat if you are of a certain age, are "Bump n' Grind", "I Believe I Can Fly", "Gotham City", "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time", "I'm a Flirt", and "Trapped in the Closet". To date, he's sold nearly 40 million albums in the United States, and another 54 million worldwide. He's released thirteen studio albums as a solo artist, and is slated to release a fourth, "Black Panties" in December of 2013. All of his albums have charted in the Top 10, and five have reached #1. He's also received 24 Grammy nominations for his own performances, or for work he has produced for other artists, and he's won three of the awards. The only thing marring his track record is an ugly period in the late 90s/early 2000s, when he had the one-two punch of getting married to a minor (a then 15-year old Aaliyah), and being accused of sex with another minor and producing child pornography (the act was taped). The trial was continually moved due to R. Kelly dealing with a burst appendix and the judge taking a fall which resulted in several broken bones. He finally went to trial in 2008, and at which point he was found not guilty of all charges. Unfortunately, the 6 years between the accusations and the actual trial did a bit of a number on his reputation. The fact that he actually is a rather… ahem… eccentric person hasn't helped. Only time will tell whether he will be able to shake the mess off completely. Back just before the poo hit the fan, he put his Chicago mansion on the market for $5.2 million. As his public image took a hit, so did his ability to the sell the house. Fast forward to today, and the home is now owned by the bank and is on the market for just $587,000.
R. Kelly's house has five bedrooms and seven bathrooms spread out of 14,500 square feet. The home features hardwood floors, walls of mirrors, floor-to-ceiling windows, and an eat-in kitchen. R. Kelly's house also features nearly three acres of land and a basketball court in dire need of some TLC. The price on the property has dropped by at least a million every year since he put it on the market. Now that the bank owns the home (it was foreclosed on in 2013), it will be interesting to see what price R. Kelly's house actually fetches. Maybe if we wait long enough, the bank will give it away for free.
Read more: R. Kelly's House: If We Wait Long Enough Maybe They Will Give It Away