R. Kelly owes another million in unpaid taxes
Music mogul R. Kelly has reportedly increased his unpaid taxes by another million dollars.
According to the court documents filed in Illinois, “I Believe I Can Fly” singer R. Kelly owes the United States another $1,379,695.11 of unpaid taxes for the year 2011.
Previous reports have stated that 45-year-old R. Kelly already owes the U.S government $4,848,072.71 in unpaid taxes for the years 2005 to 2010 — which brings a total of $6,227,767.82.
A rep for the musician released a statement about his unpaid taxes, saying, “He takes this very seriously and is already communicating with the IRS about the payment process to quickly resolve the issue.”
R. Kelly — whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly — is often referred to as the King of R&B, and is also widely recognized as one of the most successful R&B artists of all time.
A native of Chicago, Illinois, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, he went solo with the album 12 Play.
Kelly is known for a series 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,” and the hip-hopera “Trapped in the Closet.” In 1998, R. Kelly won three Grammy Awards for the song “I Believe I Can Fly.”
Kelly has written, produced, and remixed songs for several artists, including The Winans, The Isley Brothers, Charlie Wilson, Quincy Jones, K-Ci & JoJo, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Hi-Five, Nivea, Ciara, Mary J. Blige, Luther Vandross, Gerald LeVert, Raheem DeVaughn, Ruben Studdard, Jaheim, Kelly Price, Tamia, Maxwell, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Usher, B2K, Twista, Tyrese, Jennifer Lopez, Trey Songz, and others in the United States and abroad.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), has recognized R. Kelly as one of the best-selling music artists in the United States with 38.5 million albums sold as well as only the fifth Black artist to crack the top 50 of the same list. In March 2011, Kelly was named the most successful R&B artist of the last 25 years by Billboard. He has released ten studio albums, sold 38.5 million albums in the United States, 15 million singles, and over 54 million albums worldwide making him the most successful R&B male artist of 1990s.