R. Kelly’s 2005 hit “Trapped in the Closet” spawned an Independent Film Channel series, plans of a Broadway stage show, and upwards of 33 music videos currently available on YouTube. According to Kelly, the world needs more of his urban opretta.
“'Trapped in the Closet,' I have 35 more chapters of that done,” Kelly revealed in an interview with Melissa Ruggieri of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m very excited about that. It will absolutely be out next year. I’ll tour if it’s a major deal, but if not I might just chill and just finish writing my movie scripts.”
The partnership between Kelly and IFC peaked with a “Trapped in the Closet” marathon in December of 2013, and left IFC president and GM Jennifer Caserta gushing to The Hollywood Reporter that the network “can’t wait to bring the next chapters of Trapped to IFC.”
At this point, it’s unclear if the cable network will be the outlet of choice for the next three dozen installments of “Trapped in the Closet,” given the popularity of various streaming services. Either way, Kelly dished on additional plans outside of writing twisted scenarios for Sylvester, Rufus, Cathy, Tina, Roxanne, Rosie the Nosy Neighbor, Randolph, ’Twan, Pimp Lucius, Dr. Perry, Reverend Moseley and kingpin Beeno. It appears Kelly wants to showcase his bars as well.
“I have my R&B hip-hop album,” Kelly added.
Given his history with rap/R&B hybrids such as the Best of Both Worlds collaborative albums with Jay Z and rap cadences found on tracks such as “Ignition,” R. Kelly possibly trying his hand at rhyming isn’t entirely surprising. There's also the option of leaving the heavy lifting to previous collaborators such as Fat Joe, Lil Wayne, and T.I.
You can read the entire Q&A, including how Kelly’s 12 Nights of Christmas project came together here.
