R. Kelly | Interview outtakes

Outtakes from my recent phone interview with R. Kelly include his thoughts on procreation but, alas, not his thoughts on the child-pornography case in which he was accused of making a sex tape with an underaged female; Kelly was acquitted in 2008. The R&B star plays the Arie Crown October 25 and 26.

One writer said you recognized your true calling was to facilitate human procreation. Do you think that’s right?

I’m sorry, that what?

That your music facilitates human procreation.

I don’t understand that. What’s human procreation? Popularity, you mean.

Having children, having sex to have kids.

Well, I believe that my music was here to inspire people, whether it’s to get married, have babies, raise a family and have a generation of people. I believe that my music plays an intricate part of that because I’ve been told a lot in the 25 years I’ve been in this business that, “Wow, I got married to your music, we’ve had kids to your music, I’ve made love to your music.” This is all I’ve heard. It’s no different than people saying, “Hey, your music is great, your music touched me, or my kid sang ‘I Believe I Can Fly,’ or I graduated from high school or I graduated from college off ‘I Believe I Can Fly,’ my pastor did a sermon on ‘I Believe I Can Fly,’ or you saved me.” I hear this stuff all the time.

What music do you listen to when you’re intimate with someone?

I listen to Marvin Gaye. I love Marvin Gaye. I love Sam Cooke. I love my music.

So you play your own music in the bedroom?

I can’t get into what I play in the bedroom. I don’t want to [Laughs]—I don’t want to give you everything. But I do listen to my music a lot.

Last question: Did you in fact urinate on that girl?

[Publicist: Oh, stop it. That’s a ridiculous question.]

Robert, did you want to answer that?

[Publicist: It’s just absurd. That’s so rude that Time Out Chicago would do that. It’s just nasty.]