Robert Sylvester Kelly, known professionally as R. Kelly, is an American former singer, songwriter, and record producer who is credited with prolific commercial success in contemporary R&B, hip-hop, and pop music recordings. Nicknamed "the King of R&B", "the King of Pop-Soul", and "the Pied Piper of R&B", Billboard has him ranked as the 9th greatest R&B artist of all time. His career ended following his 2021 and 2022 convictions and subsequent 31-year sentence for a series of child sex offences.