R. Kelly has an incurable disease, but it’s not an illness you’d expect, like cancer or AIDS, the imprisoned R&B star confessed during a candid interview from behind bars on the Inmate Tea with A&P podcast.
“Well singing is a beautiful disease that’s uncurable, that’s not going to happen stop singing, right? I don’t care where I’m at long I’m alive, so I’m always singing, I’m always writing.”
While prison walls confine his body, Kelly’s passion for music continues to thrive, fueling creativity that flows unchecked, even from behind bars.
“I’ve written like 25 albums since I’ve been in here,” R. Kelly told the podcast. And despite a lengthy prison sentence, there is still a huge demand for the music R. Kelly is writing.
As of early 2025, his Spotify catalog surpassed a staggering 3 billion total streams, averaging more than 782,000 listens daily. With a robust collection of 391 tracks on the platform—including 234 solo songs—the R&B legend’s#### “Ignition” alone amassed over 645 million streams, pulling in roughly 101,872 plays per day.
The steady stream of royalties has translated directly into real-world financial gains, allowing Kelly to chip away at hefty legal judgments.
In December 2024, revenue from Kelly’s extensive music catalog successfully covered a $500,000 federal judgment, including $379,649.90 specifically for restitution payments.
“I thank you guys for continuing to believe obviously in me and support my music, support who I am as an artist, and you know, I really do appreciate that,” R. Kelly said of the continued support, which has enabled him to earn a sizable income even while incarcerated.
R. Kelly’s legal troubles, however, remain severe.
Initially sentenced on June 29, 2022, to 30 years in prison for racketeering and sex trafficking in New York, R. Kelly later received an additional 20-year sentence in Chicago on child pornography and enticement charges on Feb. 23, 2023.
Nineteen of those years run concurrently with his original sentence, adding just one more year to his incarceration.
Last month, a federal appeals court upheld Kelly’s earlier convictions and the 30-year sentence from the New York trial, confirming he’ll remain incarcerated potentially into his mid-80s.
Despite the recent legal setbacks, Kelly remains optimistic about his future.
“Right now, I’m just working on getting out, getting back to what it is God gave me my talent to do, right? That’s what I’m waiting on right now, that’s what I’m working on right now.”
