R. Kelly returns to the charts with his 15th top 10 album Black Panties, which debuted at No. 4 this week. In the final part of his interview with Rap-Up TV, the R&B veteran speaks out about some of his famous collaborators and peers including fellow Chicago native Kanye West.
“A lot of people didn’t believe in Kanye, a lot of people didn’t believe in me. He’s a genius in his own right and he’s on top now,” said Kellz, who worked with Yeezus on Cruel Summer‘s “To the World.” “That’s why I know if we got together again on one of these days in that studio, some magic is gonna happen again.”
While he and Jay Z had a fallout after their Best of Both Worlds albums, he is not ruling out another collaboration. “In this business, man, you just never know,” he said. “It happened once, it happened again. You just never know.”
One thing that is certain are more “Trapped in the Closet” episodes. “I got 50-something chapters in the studio just waiting to be shot and then there’s more to come. It’s just one of those forever things, man.”
A “Trapped in the Closet” movie is already being written along with a Broadway show and a book.
When it comes to today’s stars, Kellz has a lot of respect for Chris Brown. “I don’t look at Chris Brown as an R&B guy. He’s a superstar, hands down. It doesn’t matter. He’s music. I don’t put him in a category ’cause he’s got that Michael Jackson thing on him.”
So what does he find himself listening to when he’s riding in the car? “I will listen to Jay Z, I listen to Trey Songz, I listen to Dream, I listen to Ciara, Rihanna, Destiny’s Child, and some Beyoncé stuff.”
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