Sunday, April 1st 2012

From The Vault: R. Kelly – ‘Ignition’

“Y’all tell me, what’s R&B without the the R?”

In the same way the Jackson siblings have inspired and changed the Pop landscape forever, a certain R.Kelly has left an indelible print on R&B; ensuring he go down in history as the undeniable King of R&B.

This week, That Grape Juice honors His-Highness with a throwback to the year 2002, a year when R. was commanding the world to “bounce”. ‘Ignition (Remix)’ is today’s From The Vault pick.

Unleashed during Fall 02, ‘Ignition’ was exactly the homerun Robert needed to keep his career afloat after some very public drama saw him garner headlines for all the wrong reasons.

A critics’ favorite, it was the single that helped launch the Pied Piper’s fifth album ‘Chocolate Factory’, an LP that would see him write, arrange and produce every single song.

As with many of his releases, it was a worldwide smash, reaching the pole position of the UK Single Charts while peaking at #2 on the US Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Charts

This here is an excellent example of the authenticity and uniqueness of Kelly, from the minimalistic production to the way he rides that beat, the varied vocal delivery to the outlandish metaphors: classic. Actually we dare you to find any other artist who could pull this song off (or who could come up with a song like this entirely by himself).

If the track itself isn’t enough, its simple yet effective club set video will make you wish you were on a dancefloor ready to ‘have you some fun’.

To every R&B hopeful out there: if you are willing to learn, R.Kelly is the one.