visibility.

If we saw/heard Kweli or Pharoah Monch or D'Angelo all the damn time like folks see and hear an R Kelly or a JayZ, we'd all have stronger critiques.

Almost every artist has some sort of shortcomings. Almost every one of them.

The more you see an artist, the more folks tend to notice and/or exaggerate those shortcomings.

Kelly is it when it comes to R&B and visibility. When he comes out, he comes out with a slew of songs, remixes, guest spots, production, etc. He damn near takes over BET and the radio, so folks can tend to get tired of him.

Folks got tired of Al Green in the 70s, too.

It took them longer, but they kinda got tired of the Isleys for a little bit, too.

And folks never really 'got' Marvin and they abandoned him as soon as they couldn't take one of his songs as a random bedroom anthem.

Really...Kelly is about as close as anyone is to being a 'soul' artist in the same vein as an Isley Brothers or Marvin Gaye or Al Green.

He does a lot of the songs that folks 'say' they want as well as the uptempo 'club' songs that are now viewed as punishable even if they work with the club crowd.

The club crowd gets to the store quicker than the 'complainer' group, so Kelly releases singles for the club about half the time.

He doesn't have to do The Belle Album to be credible just because he's highly popular. Folks who sale less records "sell-out" more often than Kelly.

Jimaveli

>>most of his stuff is wack, and you
>>already said D has 2 classics...
>
>basically i don't agree with this...my beef isn't with those
>that thinks d'angelo is better, but with those that thinks
>kelly ISN'T talented in any way, that he's a shit song
>writer, all that shit
>
>yes kelly has put out some shitty songs in his career, and i
>honestly say d'angelo hasn't made somethin as low as
>"snake", but most of kelly's songs AREN'T wack...take
>chocolate factory for example, take out the latin-sounding
>ones out, u have a great album....can u honestly tell me
>that "step in the name of love (& remix)", "forever more",
>"dream girl" are wack? and on the bonus disk, title track
>"loveland" is just hotness.... now his song writing might be
>cliched, but it doesn't mean it's bad, he HAS written gems
>like "when a woman's fed up", "i believe i can fly" etc ya
>kno
>
>plus ppl said kelly hasn't made a song like "untitled", well
>imo d'angelo hasn't made a song like "if i could turn back
>the hands of time" either...and they won't, coz they're
>totally different like reply 113 said...
>
>basically, when it comes down to it, some ppl r givin kelly
>way too little credit, and some even implied he is a clown
>and all that shit...quit lyin to urself man...shit