From The Vault: R. Kelly – ‘Downlow (Nobody Has To Know)’

Published: Sunday 25th Jul 2010 by Sam

R. Kelly is no stranger to R&B classics; indeed a vast array of his material enjoys such status. For that reason and so much more, this week’s classic From The Vault clip is Kelly’s 1996 smash ‘Downlow (Nobody Has To Know)’. The song’s popularity, which saw it peak at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, was undeniably spear-headed by its dramatic, cinematic video. Featuring Ronald Isley and Garcelle Beauvais, the clip remains a stand-out among Kelly’s already impressive body of work.

Randomness: Songs such as this really have me sighing at the state of the industry today. I mean when was the last time an outright R&B song -in the vein of this-achieved such high chart recognition. Instead, uniformity and genericness populate what was once a musically diverse industry. In days of old, one could see R&B, Pop, Rock, and Hip-Hop  songs all vying for the top spot and actually having a fair chance of achieving it. Today, top ten’s often sound like the same damn song. SMH…

Your thoughts?

Comments 14

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  1. amar July 25, 2010

    to me imo the best years of music esp where around 1995-1999

    people actually cared about the music, the lyrics they are putting out, they were ttrying to be orginal,
    dont get me wrong theres still some good music out at moment, maxwell,musiq,erykah badu, but it wasnt as exciting when people like aaliyah,donnel jones,ginuewine,jagged edge,boys ii men etc were about

  2. UGh July 25, 2010

    you are sooooooooo right all the top 10 music sound a like and unfortunately a lot of it is POP music. We need some more variety on the charts and i would love to see a R&B song as no.1 soon.

  3. TheBaddestBitch July 25, 2010

    I’m wondering how long this Pop/Electro/Trash Era will last…

  4. TJ July 25, 2010

    you know, Sam, between you and half of the readers on here, the “SMH” is getting embarrassing. You’re like children who learn a new phrase or word and use it constantly.

  5. tae July 25, 2010

    tj stfu because sam is right this industry has become really sad now i hope this era pases and a new one can begin

  6. likeCAESAR July 25, 2010

    Well his music is good…his morals not so much, apparently! Damned p********.

  7. Dont Hate Appreciate July 25, 2010

    In 2010 “downlow” has a whole new meaning

  8. EXPOSED July 25, 2010

    BACK IN THE DAY, MUSIC VIDS WERE WELL DONE MINI-MOVIES. NOWADAYS ITS JUST GAGA S*** THROWN TOGETHER TO CONFUSE THE YOUNGINS WITH SO-CALLED PRODUCTION VALUES WHILST DISTRACTING FROM THE LOUSY GIMMICKS AND POOR VOCALS. TRUTH.

  9. unionstation July 25, 2010

    thats all right and you do not see are hear good music like that now a day and time..

  10. mishka July 25, 2010

    I looooooooooove this song !!! And as much as I looove Trey Songz , his talent is nowhere near R.Kelly ‘s, sorry ^^

  11. SLAYFEST July 26, 2010

    He’s a legend and the King of R&B.

  12. wahlerde July 26, 2010

    i wonder if ol’ pissin’ Bob took the time to learn how to read and write words during this absence. i’m guessing not.

    HEY WHAT’S R. KELLY’S TWITTER NAME? OH WAIT, HE CAN’T READ.

  13. wahlerde July 26, 2010

    i’m gnashing my teeth at Sam’s use of the non-word “genericness”. hey look, MY spellcheck caught it… genius how that works.

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