R. Kelly

Biggie was a lyrical genius: he was a musical painter with words. As he rapped, you would see the picture come to life as you heard his story. You hear a lot of rappers rap; you hear a lot of singers sing, but you don't see the movie in your head the way you do when you hear Biggie rap.

Nobody knows 100% what affects the human body, mind or spirit.

'Love Letter' is a concept album, and whenever I do a concept album - and I love doing concept albums more than any other kind of album - it allows me to get dressed, in a way, musically.

To make an album like 'Love Letter,' everything's got to be about love. Everything has to have a great feeling when you listen to it.

I have to say, it was fun doing this 'Love Letter' album because, hey, man, love has never failed. It has won every battle. And today and forevermore, it will go on undefeated. I'm also a very loving person.

I gave a Christmas party last year - well, two Christmases ago - where I did a Sam Cooke show. I didn't perform as R. Kelly. I performed the Sam Cooke show from 1964, when he performed at the Copacabana.

I'm not gonna be broke, like my mom was broke, my uncles were broke, my sisters didn't have money, my cousins on down.

I want to be able to be a father to my kids, where I've never seen my father, but my kids can see me whenever they want, so that was broken.

I started calling myself the Pied Piper, when I started using the flute sound in my music.

I don't really know the story of the Pied Piper. I don't read stories, first of all. I just remember either a rabbit or a rat leading people out of the village with a flute. That's all I can tell you.

I've called myself the Pied Piper, I've called myself the Weatherman, I've called myself Kellz, I've called myself a lot of things, changing the name, switching it up, just flipping, remixing. But never to harm anybody. Never to make a deep statement for people to dig into and figure it out.

I have always been infatuated with country music.

Country music tells stories, and I've always loved to tell stories.

I said that when I establish myself as an artist that can do pretty much anything I want to do in music, I'm going to make a country album.

I've always wanted to write movies - I always used to tell my mom that I wanted to be a director.

I couldn't believe I was working with Michael Jackson. I thought, growing up as a kid, I thought Michael was a cartoon.

You don't want R&B singers to get into beef. Leave that to the rappers, let them do that - R&B, be classy.

You save money so your kids can go to college - no matter what they are or who they are. They're your kids; you gotta support them.

I have three lovely, lovely kids that I am in love with and that's in love with me.

When I met Michael Jordan on a basketball court at an athletic club - we hooped together in Chicago - he came to me and asked me if I wanted to do a song for his upcoming movie. I was like, 'Yeah!' I didn't even ask what it was.

When I get into the studio, I write from my heart.

I try to write life and not songs. People live life, and when you write life, you're going to mess around and touch somebody's heart, and they'll relate to you and what you're singing about.

I did 'Love Letter' and 'Write Me Back,' and those were fun albums for me to do because they took me back to music I love.

Fans can never accuse R. Kelly of doing the same thing; I keep mixing it up.

I really don't chase songs. I get in the studio, I know what I gotta do; I'm pretty much programmed to do it.

Before I can finish one song, another is knocking on my door in my head.

I love that I can play around with all types of music.

I know how to put it into a melody and make it comical but sexual at the same time.

With my gift, I can pretty much write a song out of anything.

I don't have a job, so I sit in the studio all the time and think of stupid stuff to do.

'Trapped in the Closet' is pretty much forever. I've got a leash on this thing now. I'm going to walk it.

When you commit to something and have fun with it, it appreciates you, the gift, and it starts to help you out.

On many different singles, I was able to marry my music with rappers who understood the natural bond between us.

I don't want fans mad at me, so I gotta give them what they expect and what they want.

I used to get criticized for doing a 'Bump & Grind' then turning around and doing a gospel song. But the truth is I'm glad I have a gift that allows me to switch lanes.

My whole goal in life was to reach that certain success where people will say, 'Hey, that guy can do anything. He's the Evel Knievel of music. He's jumping over 15 buses!'

You don't see me in the club. And the reason is because I would rather be in the studio mixing these musical potions. Now sometimes they blow up in my face, and there's a lot of smoke. But that's who I am. Music is what I do.

I've done a lot of things that I regret.

I don't want to just go out and do song to song to song. I like to create things before the song actually kicks in, little things you do to excite the crowd.

I had a cyst on my tonsils, and I couldn't sing. I had to have an operation.

Being single has its ups and downs, and being in a relationship has its ups and downs. It depends on how you balance it and how you handle your problems within your relationship.

I walk around every day with a radio playing constantly in my head, and this radio station plays a lot of hits. But it's all my songs, so that's something to be excited about 24 hours a day.

I like to laugh and make people have fun.

'The Notebook' was beautiful, and I was crying because its hero and heroine had died together.

I just never, in my career, got into doing a lot of press.

When you go to church, if the pastor at some point doesn't make you laugh, he probably ain't gonna make you join.

I believe the people that buy my music believes in me.

I know that I'm not a criminal. People say that, but my music speaks for itself. And I believe in my music.

I've heard people have written books of me. People don't even know me, but they've written a book on me. You ever heard of hearing it from the horse's mouth? I'm the horse.

I started to wear the sunglasses all the time at school, hiding behind them... I'd walk down the hallways, practically hugging the wall, dragging my head against it like I was crazy.