R. KELLY UPDATES

[JumpinJack AJ]

ANDREA KELLY: Secret Wife, Public Life

Posted May 3rd 2007 1:53PM by Karu F. Daniels

Filed under: Entertainment Newswire

By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

What's that old saying?

"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"?

Well, in the special collector's edition of the Black Music Month edition of 'Essence' magazine, the fury is unleashed when R. Kelly's estranged wife Andrea Kelly breaks her silence and speaks her piece.

"What doesn't break you makes you stronger, and I'm living proof," the former back-up dancer reflected, during an exclusive chit-chat session with 'Essence' contributor Natalie Y. Moore.

Though she recently filed for divorce from the multiple Grammy Award winning R&B superstar, the former Miss Andrea Lee seems to remain committed to family affairs. Within her 11-year marriage, she mothered three children for the beleaguered balladeer -- two girls, 9 and 7, and a 5-year-old boy.

Until most recently, she has gone unnoticed in the media though.

There have been reports of her filing for an order of protection in September 2005, explaining to a judge that when she had told her husband she wanted a divorce, he became angry and hit her.

That order was later rescinded.

She referred to that fact as "old news."

And then there's the scandal that erupted in 2002 when a videotape of "a man resembling R. Kelly urinating on a young girl" surfaced, which led to Kelly being arrested and indicted on multiple counts of child pornography.

She was pregnant with their son during the time the story spread like wildfire -- Kelly maintains it's someone else in the video and has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and is awaiting an often rescheduled trial. She tells 'Essence' that she blocked everything out and the couple worked hard to protect the family from the outside world.

While the media-ready Mrs. Robert Kelly didn't out-and-out defend her hubby, she did veer towards the more diplomatic approach when addressing the ongoing scandal. "I know the allegations against my husband don't reflect on me as an individual," she said. "They don't reflect on me as a mom or as a wife, and they don't reflect on me in my everyday life."

So why are they getting a divorce?

She didn't say.

But she did reveal the common story of women and mothers who live in the shadows of celebrity men. "I was there as Robert was evolving," she offered, "but most people don't realize that as a celebrity's wife, you make a lot of sacrifices. You have to understand there are birthday parties he's missing; there are recitals that you have to go to by yourself."

So why is she now unveiling herself -- when she didn't mind being incognito for many years?

Business ops of course.

Andrea Kelly is reportedly working on a Soul Kittens Cabaret project with Nicci Gilbert of Brownstone (an R&B version of the Pussycat Dolls) and has auditioned for dance parts in Oprah Winfrey-christened hit musical 'The Color Purple,' along with aspiring to work with work with Tyler Perry on a musical and to dance in the performances of neo-soul artists such as Erykah Badu, Common and Raheem DeVaughn

According to 'Essence,' she recently founded Dream Tu Dance Productions, a dance academy on Chicago's South Side aimed at making a place for black girls to learn the art of dance.

"I've become more and more conscious," she added

There's so much more to this story.

The June 2007 edition of 'Essence' -- with Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige gracing the cover -- arrives on newsstands, nationally, May 11.

R. KELLY: Ready to 'Rise'

Posted May 1st 2007 3:06PM by Karu F. Daniels

Filed under: Entertainment Newswire

By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices

R. Kelly isn't trapped in the closet anymore.

The multiple Grammy Award winning R&B superstar, who is still enduring legal woes stemming from the years old child pornography charges, continues to strike a chord with his faithful fan base.

It was just announced today that his longtime record label, Jive/Zomba, will release his latest song, 'Rise Up,' which is said to be a song of encouragement in memory of the Virginia Tech victims and in condolence to their families.

"As the details of the tragedy were unfolding last week, Kelly was traveling across the country on his tour bus for a performance," explained his label rep. "Deeply affected by the news, he was inspired to write lyrics he shaped into a song ... a moving anthem in honor and remembrance of the victims of this heartbreaking event."

At Kelly's request, Jive will make the track available as a digital single for sale on starting May 15 "in hopes of spreading the message of hope and unity."

100% of the net proceeds from the digital single sales will be donated to the university's official fund, The Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, and listeners who buy the track will be able to access a direct link to the memorial website.

With lyrics such as "...We'll be strong together, Stand together, Pray together, Rise up,' the inspirational track recalls the spirit of triumph in Kelly's gargatuan anthem 'I Believe I Can Fly.'

The track can be heard here.

Kelly's new album, 'Double Up,' is slated for release May 29.

[TopDawg14]

Shouldn't R. Kelly be in jail? He pissed on a 14-year-old girl and he's still walking around like nothing happened?