R Kelly claims he has recorded 25 albums in prison and you’re lying if you aren’t curious about what they sound like

Look, I’m not here to defend R Kelly as a person. The guy’s criminal record is longer than his discography, and he’s spending the next few decades exactly where he belongs.

R Kelly hopped on the phone from prison to do a seven minute interview with some podcast called Tea with A&P where he said he’s written 25 albums behind bars.

R Kelly claims that he has recorded 25 albums during the first 3 years of 30-year prison sentence.

R. Kelly claims that he has recorded 25 albums during the first three years of his 30-year prison sentence. pic.twitter.com/IvKsetruet

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) March 8, 2025

Billboard – Three years into a 30-year sentence for sex trafficking and racketeering, R. Kelly broke his silence this week during a seven-minute phone call into the Inmate Tea With A&P podcast, in which the disgraced former R&B star claimed that he’s written more than two dozen albums since his imprisonment in 2022.

I couldn’t help but be somewhat impressed by R. Kelly’s worth ethic and I’m also thinking there must be at least one track that could rival Ignition (Remix) banger that took over the music industry back in the early 2000’s.

Unfortunately, we go through this every time a public figure gets exposed for being a horrific human being.

Just think about Diddy and the laundry list of other high profile celebrities and athletes that turned out to be monsters. There’s always a moral debate about whether you can still enjoy their work. Some cases are easier than others, of course.

Billboard – Kelly, claimed that he’s written “like 25 albums” since he was sentenced to three decades in prison in 2021 following a conviction on racketeering and sex trafficking charges; in 2022, Kelly was also convicted of three counts of sexual exploitation enticement of a minor child via production of child pornography as well as three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity. 

Before his sentence, Kelly was known for his prolific nature, releasing 18 studio albums from 1992 through 2016 as well as 33 chapters in his bizarre “Trapped in the Closet” musical soap opera series between 2005 and 2012. 

In addition to writing songs from his cell at a federal prison in North Carolina, Kelly said he’s working on trying to get out of prison so he can get back to “what it is God gave me, my talent.” Last month, Manhattan’s 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals rejected Kelly’s bid to appeal his New York conviction, which, given the singer’s age, could keep him locked up into his 80s if he serves the full term.

The “Can You Separate the Art From the Artist” Debate Lives On

• Darren Sharper: No-brainer. The dude was a serial predator, and nobody’s out here defending his career besides Peter King.
• Peyton Manning: Well, there’s an old accusation from college of him rubbing his balls all over someone who did not want his balls rubbed on her. He somehow gets a pass and is now the face of the NFL on the Disney owned ESPN network.
• Kanye West: He’s out there running wild and losing his shit about something every time he logs onto social media, Nazi this, Nazi that, who knows at this point.
• Michael Jackson: Whew. No thank you. That’s a whole different can of worms and I’m not getting into that today.
• Diddy: The hard boiled egg story is still the most intriguing storyline of his ongoing legal troubles. I rather have answers on that than any of his music.

But R Kelly?…

I get it. Some people completely wipe his music from their lives. Some don’t. There’s no right or wrong answer—it’s all personal. Ignition (Remix) is just one of those songs that never left my playlists. If you’re telling me you’re skipping it when this comes on, then I’m calling you a liar.

“I Wish” still slaps. “I Believe I Can Fly” was played at every childhood event imaginable. That’s what makes this situation so messy.

So, About These 25 Prison Albums…

R Kelly is out here saying he’s written 25 full albums in three years, which is absolutely insane. In all serious, I truly refuse to believe any of these are well-thought-out, composed records. It’s probably just R. Kelly free-styling over a jail phone, singing about prison food and commissary struggles or sitting on the floor of his cell while someone braids his hair.

There’s just no way that R Kelly is still in touch with reality, right? Not to mention, I think there can be a non-controversial way to still enjoy R. Kelly’s music. Let the courts confiscate the music and donate all profits to his victims and we all get what we want in the end.

If you’re telling me there’s 25 albums of pure R. Kelly insanity just sitting in a cell, I’m morbidly curious. I just don’t want him profiting off it.

Everyone has their own line when it comes to separating art from the artist. If someone never listens to R Kelly again? Totally valid.

If someone still has a couple of songs saved from 20 years ago? Also valid.

Realistically, if R Kelly is sitting on 25 albums now, and he’s in there for another 24 years, we’re looking at a vault of 200+ albums by the time he’s out.

There’s no possible way that you can’t be slightly curious about the music.

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