R. Kelly is just days away from dropping his latest opus, Black Panties, a throwback to that classic 12 Play theme that helped put him on the map! But his musical legacy stretches far beyond just Bump and Grind songs, and includes some of the most popular collaborations the music industry has ever seen! And for your enjoyment, we decided to collect our top 5 R. Kelly Collabos- and one honorable mention- actually two- b/c he just has that many!!! Enjoy!
5) Did You Ever Think Remix feat. Nas
When this dropped, R. Kelly hadn’t made that official transition to his more hip hop based persona yet- he was THE untouchable R&B Singer. Nas was the man at the time when it came to hip hop- so when the two joined forces, it was surprising, and the results were nothing but on point, making the perfect introduction of the R&B Thug persona aka Kellz.
4) I’m A Flirt feat. T-Pain and T.I.
Same Girl and I’m A Flirt were on the same album, and aside from showing the Pied Piper’s diversity, it also showed he wasn’t happy with just satisfying his fans’ traditional R&B cravings with Same Girl- he wanted that club crown too! And with his collabo with T.I. and T-Pain- both who were at the peak of their game at the time- he returned to the throne!
3) Same Girl feat Usher
Hearing the two crooners on the same track was enough to turn heads. They were at the top of their game, and arguably the most successful artists to blur the lines between hip hop and R&B. So when they jumped on this track together, and it was fire, both of their fan bases paid notice and had no complaints! Oh – and the video has a nice twist at the end too!
2) Fiesta Remix feat. Jay-Z, Boo, & Gotti
Boo & Gotti’s impact on this club favorite may not be as revered by fans as Hov’s and Kellz, but it’s certainly not forgotten. All 4 artists brought their A Game on this chart topper. You couldn’t go to a hip hop club for a good year after this song came out without hearing it at least once during the night! It was THAT joint- and it still continues to bang to this day!!
1. Down Low Remix feat. Ron Isley
The original is a classic- both the song and the video- with its soap opera-style antics, beats, and lyrics. However, that wasn’t enough for Kellz or Mr. Big aka the legendary Ronald Isley, as the two teamed up to make a remix to their chart topping song- and hit the industry with another instant classic!!
Honorable Mention
Who’s That feat. Fat Joe
This one went under the radar when it dropped on Chocolate Factory, but there was no denying how tight the song was when the flute started up. Mixing genres and doing another notable collabo with a New York native, Fat Joe, R. Kelly did it again!
And One More…
I’m Your Angel- w/ Celine Dion!!
So everything above has been more hip hop and R&B based, but it would be an injustice for us to mention the chart toppers above, and not make mention of one of his biggest songs in the world (yes, the world) with one of the biggest singers in the world (yes, we said it again)- Celine Dion!
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