R. Kelly is a musician.
Robert Sylvester Kelly ( born January 8 , 1967 ) , known professionally as R. Kelly , is an American singer , songwriter , record producer , and former professional basketball player . He is known for a collection of major hit singles including `` Bump N ' Grind '' , `` Your Body 's Callin ' '' , `` I Believe I Can Fly '' , `` Gotham City '' , `` Ignition ( Remix ) '' , `` If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time '' , `` The World 's Greatest '' , `` I 'm a Flirt ( Remix ) '' , and the hip-hopera `` Trapped in the Closet '' . Kelly became the first musician to play professional basketball , when he was signed in 1997 . The Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) has recognized R. Kelly as one of the best-selling music artists in the United States with 40 million albums sold as well as only the fifth black artist to crack the top 50 of the same list .