R. Kelly to burn up Kampala city
PERHAPS the news of an international artiste performing in Kampala is no longer the incredible deal it once was, given the fact that Ugandans have seen stars like Wyclef Jean, Akon, UB40, Sean Paul and Beanie Man.
By Joseph Ssemutooke
PERHAPS the news of an international artiste performing in Kampala is no longer the incredible deal it once was, given the fact that Ugandans have seen stars like Wyclef Jean, Akon, UB40, Sean Paul and Beanie Man.
But now the news is about R. Kelly, the man variously dubbed ‘The Pied Piper’, ‘Man of All Seasons’, ‘ King of R&B’, ‘Kels’, the man who refers to himself as ‘the R in R&B’.
R. Kelly is slated to perform in the I Believe Concert at the Lugogo Cricket Oval on January 29, 2010, courtesy of telecom giants Zain.
And who could be blamed for suggesting that R. Kelly will then become the biggest music star to have performed on our soil? The superstar seemingly ranks higher than the other contenders who have performed here on most aspects like cross-over, number of hits and diversity of music.
This is the first time R. Kelly is performing in East Africa, and the third time in Africa, having performed in South Africa and Nigeria mid this year.
“I cannot wait to perform in front of my fans in Africa who have been some of the best in the world,†he reportedly said.
Music and appeal
Perhaps the foremost of R. Kelly’s various legendary stations in the music industry is that of an incredibly ever-green cross-over artiste, whose ability to draw fans from all circles at all times earned him the nickname ‘Man of All Seasons.’
He virtually has something for everyone. The romantic-leaning will love him for the smooth ballads like I Believe I Can Fly, I’m Your Angel and If I could Turn.
Hip-hop lovers will especially look to his earliest releases when he was part of the group, Public Announcement; while dance-hall fans will dance to tunes like Burn It Up and Thoia Thong.
The dramatists and pure soul artisans will love Trapped In the Closet; reggae boys will embrace Ghetto religion, while rock fans will enjoy songs like I am a Rock Star.
Gospel fans will have tracks like You Saved Me, Soldier’s Heart, Storm Is Over and Heaven I Need A Hug.
And at the end of the day, one will marvel at the way Kelly has been able to keep himself popular with different generations since he broke out in the early 1990s, never becoming obsolete for the different generations that have changed through the decades!
On the whole, Kelly’s music ‘can be described as spiritually inspirational, packed with deep meaning, drawing much from his own life and often extremely sexual.
His lyrics sometimes contemplate serious issues like justice, the life after and faith.
The concert
Organisers Zain reckon the concert will be the biggest and best ever extravaganza in Uganda. The marketing manager, Caesar Mloka, says it will be an opportunity to take entertainment to a whole new level.
Over 40,000 fans are expected, including those from other East African countries.
In the run-up to the concert, Zain has put up a promotion in which customers will decide which local artistes will perform alongside R.Kelly from a pool of 12 that includes Chameleone, Bebe Cool, GNL Zamba, Radio and Weasle, Iryn Namubiru, Peter Miles, Aziz Azion, Grace Nakimera, Lady Mariam, Toniks, Cindy and The Obsessions.
Kelly’s life history
R. Kelly was born Robert Sylvester Kelly on January 8, 1967, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. He grew up with a single mother, who was a singer and a Baptist Christian.
He began singing in church at the age of eight and although he did not graduate from high school, his music teacher-mentor, Lena McLin, inspired him to become a singer.
Kelly used to perform on street corners as an amateur, before eventually forming a group, MGM (Musically Gifted Men), with his friend Marc McWilliams in 1990.
In 1991, Kelly with friends, formed another R&B group called Public Announcement, and scored his first success as the lead singer on the group’s debut album, Born into the 90s, which had hits like She’s Got That Vibe, Honey Love, Dedicated and Slow Dance.
Kelly went solo in 1993 and his debut solo album, 12 Play, yielded the singer’s first number-one hit, Bump n’ Grind, which spent a record-breaking 12 weeks at number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart.
PERHAPS the news of an international artiste performing in Kampala is no longer the incredible deal it once was, given the fact that Ugandans have seen stars like Wyclef Jean, Akon, UB40, Sean Paul and Beanie Man.
But now the news is about R. Kelly, the man variously dubbed ‘The Pied Piper’, ‘Man of All Seasons’, ‘ King of R&B’, ‘Kels’, the man who refers to himself as ‘the R in R&B’.
R. Kelly is slated to perform in the I Believe Concert at the Lugogo Cricket Oval on January 29, 2010, courtesy of telecom giants Zain.
And who could be blamed for suggesting that R. Kelly will then become the biggest music star to have performed on our soil? The superstar seemingly ranks higher than the other contenders who have performed here on most aspects like cross-over, number of hits and diversity of music.
This is the first time R. Kelly is performing in East Africa, and the third time in Africa, having performed in South Africa and Nigeria mid this year.
“I cannot wait to perform in front of my fans in Africa who have been some of the best in the world,†he reportedly said.
Music and appeal
Perhaps the foremost of R. Kelly’s various legendary stations in the music industry is that of an incredibly ever-green cross-over artiste, whose ability to draw fans from all circles at all times earned him the nickname ‘Man of All Seasons.’
He virtually has something for everyone. The romantic-leaning will love him for the smooth ballads like I Believe I Can Fly, I’m Your Angel and If I could Turn.
Hip-hop lovers will especially look to his earliest releases when he was part of the group, Public Announcement; while dance-hall fans will dance to tunes like Burn It Up and Thoia Thong.
The dramatists and pure soul artisans will love Trapped In the Closet; reggae boys will embrace Ghetto religion, while rock fans will enjoy songs like I am a Rock Star.
Gospel fans will have tracks like You Saved Me, Soldier’s Heart, Storm Is Over and Heaven I Need A Hug.
And at the end of the day, one will marvel at the way Kelly has been able to keep himself popular with different generations since he broke out in the early 1990s, never becoming obsolete for the different generations that have changed through the decades!
On the whole, Kelly’s music ‘can be described as spiritually inspirational, packed with deep meaning, drawing much from his own life and often extremely sexual.
His lyrics sometimes contemplate serious issues like justice, the life after and faith.
The concert
Organisers Zain reckon the concert will be the biggest and best ever extravaganza in Uganda. The marketing manager, Caesar Mloka, says it will be an opportunity to take entertainment to a whole new level.
Over 40,000 fans are expected, including those from other East African countries.
In the run-up to the concert, Zain has put up a promotion in which customers will decide which local artistes will perform alongside R.Kelly from a pool of 12 that includes Chameleone, Bebe Cool, GNL Zamba, Radio and Weasle, Iryn Namubiru, Peter Miles, Aziz Azion, Grace Nakimera, Lady Mariam, Toniks, Cindy and The Obsessions.
Kelly’s life history
R. Kelly was born Robert Sylvester Kelly on January 8, 1967, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. He grew up with a single mother, who was a singer and a Baptist Christian.
He began singing in church at the age of eight and although he did not graduate from high school, his music teacher-mentor, Lena McLin, inspired him to become a singer.
Kelly used to perform on street corners as an amateur, before eventually forming a group, MGM (Musically Gifted Men), with his friend Marc McWilliams in 1990.
In 1991, Kelly with friends, formed another R&B group called Public Announcement, and scored his first success as the lead singer on the group’s debut album, Born into the 90s, which had hits like She’s Got That Vibe, Honey Love, Dedicated and Slow Dance.
Kelly went solo in 1993 and his debut solo album, 12 Play, yielded the singer’s first number-one hit, Bump n’ Grind, which spent a record-breaking 12 weeks at number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart.