R Kelly is 49 years old and still obsessed with sex. Look no further than the cunnilingus-referencing title of his newest album The Buffet.
Indeed, Kellz still possesses the youthful libido (and golden voice) that made him the most successful R&B artist of the '90s. With countless slow burners drenched in sweat and sex, he took the music of of Barry White, Marvin Gaye, the Isley Brothers, and made it accessible to the modern, possibly hornier listener.
Click through the gallery to revisit 10 of the best R. Kelly songs from the '90s.
"Bump n' Grind"
The lead single from R. Kelly's 1993 debut album 12 Play, "Bump n' Grind" is still his best song ever and the quintessential dance floor slow jam of its generation. It hasn't aged a day.
"Your Body's Callin'"
"Your Body's Callin'", like "Bump n' Grind", is timeless. This video, however, with its windswept beaches and slow transitions, screams the '90s.
“Sex Me” (Part 1 & 2)
"Sex Me" is a thoughtful expansion of the "Bump n' Grind" aesthetic, a two-part, eleven-and-a-half minute odyssey through the sexed up mind of Robert Kelly. Despite R Kelly's rapping attempts, "Sex Me" is a certified classic.
“It Seems Like You’re Ready”
R Kelly is spiritual descendant of the Isley Brothers, and on “It Seems Like You’re Ready” he channels Isley classics "Caravan of Love" and "Between the Sheets". Another parallel: Marvin Gaye's slow burner "Til Tomorrow".
“You Remind Me Of Something”
By the time R. Kelly dropped his self-titled sophomore album in late 1995, he was thoroughly swaddled in cash. He has amassed an expansive car collection, and he spends much of “You Remind Me Of Something” comparing females to his automobiles. Not unlike Drake circa-Views... but better.
"You remind me of my jeep, I want to ride it
Something like my sound, I want to pump it
Girl you look just like my cars, I want to wax it"
“Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)” feat. Isley Brothers
"Down Low" was probably R. Kelly's most successful music video. Directed by Kelly and Hype Williams, it follows Kelly as he is instructed to take care of the wife of his boss, a shadowy mob don. Naturally, he ends up fucking the wife, and drama ensues.
“I Can’t Sleep Baby (If I)”
R. Kelly has no doubt been intimately involved with hundreds of women. "I Can't Sleep Baby" is about the one that got away. Kelly wrote the song about breaking up with a girlfriend and immediately regretting it. Fifteen years later, in 2010, he said that he still has not gotten over this girl.
Watch out for the Diddy cameo.
"Gotham City"
"Gotham City" appeared on the OST of the 1997 film "Batman and Robin." A fusion of country, R&B, and gospel with key changes aplenty, the song is a love letter to the city of Gotham. The video is hilarious, especially the part where Kellz rides a motorcycle through Times Square.
"I Believe I Can Fly"
Though it appeared on Kelly's third album R., "I Believe I Can Fly" will forever be remembered as a a part of Space Jam lore. This song has been an inspiration to millions... I shed a tear whenever I hear it.
Dat oboe...
"If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time"
R Kelly is consumed by regret in "If I Could Turn Back The Hands Of Time." If only he could time travel and remedy his relationship with the woman he loved... Fans have wondered if the song is about the same girl he made the mistake of leaving in "I Can't Sleep Baby."
The video director is F. Gary Gray, a.k.a. the man who directed the N.W.A. biopic "Straight Outta Compton."