R. Kelly delivered his Love Letter, and now he wants a response. The R&B star will drop his 11th studio album, Write Me Back, on June 26, and fans may be able to do just that — according to a press release, the album will feature “special packaging that will include a postcard for fans to actually write R. Kelly back.” Who’s hoping to score a new pen pal?!

In addition to Write Me Back‘s release, Kells has one busy year ahead of him — his hilariously-titled book Soula Coaster: The Diary Of Me comes out this summer, his Love Letter cruise will depart in October, and another new album, Black Panties, is set to drop by 2012′s end. And let’s not forget about all those additional installments of Trapped In The Closet, which will premiere on IFC in the coming months.

R. Kelly is prepping two new albums for 2012, the sentimental-sounding Write Me Back and, well, pretty much the opposite of sentimental with Black Panties. The more tracks we hear off each respective album, the more it looks like Kells will be splitting his personality Sasha Fierce-style, throwing the down-and-dirty jams — like strip club-loving “It’s On” — on Panties, and keeping the more intimate numbers on Write, like the recently surfaced ”Feeling Single”. On the soulful tune, the R&B star splits with his significant other and picks up the pieces by picking up some new ladies. Way to get back on the horse, Kell! Listen below.

R. Kelly is good-looking, charming and successful enough to inspire ladies to engage in all sorts of kinky play with him in the bedroom — but in his new video for “It’s On”, Kells is more interested in getting teased by women who work the poles. In the clip, the R&B star, evidently well past his love-dovey relationship phase, holes up in a strip club with Ace Hood and DJ Khaled, focusing his attention and his fantasies on the flexible girls on stage.

“It’s On” is the first track off Kells’ upcoming album, Black Panties. Yes, that’s the actual name of the album. And no, that’s not the same album as his other album due this year, Write Me Back. A man this busy has time to visit strip clubs?

R. Kelly opens up his home, his heart, and his bed in the video for his disco-heaven single “Share My Love”, off his forthcoming album, Write Me Back. The R&B crooner throws quite a party in the clip, though we’re disappointed he didn’t go full Saturday Night Fever and throw down some intense boogie moves in a white jumpsuit. (We’re sure he must have one of those hanging up somewhere in his oft-visited closet.) Check out the vid above, and tell us if you’ve got disco fever for R. Kelly’s intimate gathering. 

Were 22 episodes just not enough for you? Have you been trapped in a metaphorical closet of your own, dying to be set free with more episodes of the R&B soap opera? Well, prepare to see the light — R. Kelly plans to shoot more Trapped in the Closet videos for IFC this spring, slated for a fall release. Of the series, the “Nothing On” singer says: “The Alien is back and It has brought friends along. When I first began experiencing the unknown journey of writing Trapped in the Closet I knew after the first chapter that I had tapped into something that was not of this earth.” (Agreed.) For the uninitiated, catch a sample episode of Trapped in the Closet (along with a dramatic trailer for the new season) below.


“Trapped in the Closet” episode 8

“Trapped in the Closet” trailer

Will you be pleased to again find R. Kelly lurking in your pantry? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter or in the comments.

Did You Hear?

:: We bet Chris Brown has gotten this look from Rihanna’s grandpa a couple of times. [Popdust]

:: Adam Levine may lend his bare chest to play a “Lover” on American Horror Story. And possibly do some real acting as well. [E! Online]

:: Adorable Swedish kids pillow-fight to the death in this awesome (and bloody) music video for John de Sohn and Andreas Moe’s excellent club track “Long Time.” [ArjanWrites]

:: Hot and fresh out the kitchen, Young the Giant covers R. Kelly’s remix to “Ignition.” Which is probably a lot more successful than if R. Kelly tried to cover a Young the Giant song. [A.V. Club]

:: Demi Lovato’s scenic, sunset-filled message to fans plays more like a commercial for antidepressants. [MTV]

After the jump, find out which music acts you can find on the tube today.


Music On TV:

:: Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) — Oberhofer
:: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) — Tennis
:: Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC) — Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem featuring Travis Barker
:: Last Call with Carson Daly (NBC) — Roll the Tanks

Maybe we’ve been watching too many Soul Train performances today, but when did disco make a definitive comeback? R. Kelly hops into his soula coasta and heads back to the 70′s for his glittering, surprisingly non-rambling new musical offering “Share My Love”, the lead single his forthcoming album Write Me Back. If you’re in the mood to groove to cruise ship music, Kells has got you covered. Listen below.

R. Kelly – “Share My Love”

R. Kelly sings in the song “I just wanna share my love, with you baby”, but are you ready to receive it? (For the full lyrics head over to Direct Lyrics.) Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook.

Hopefully this past year was a good one, but if not, a new R. Kelly song might just be the perfect anthem for you to send off 2011 — “I Quit You,” which may sound like a happy-go-lucky love song, but is actually about getting rid of a no-good lady. Of course, depending on your New Year’s Eve plans, your midnight kiss may find “Nothing On” a more appropriate jam to ring in 2012. Just as it sounds, this one finds the sea cruiser praising the joys of nudity R&B-style. (Not even a G-string or Playboy bunny outfit will do.) But beware: the dripping noise that plays throughout this song may just drive you crazy. Listen below.

R. Kelly, “I Quit You”

R. Kelly, “Nothing On”

Which of these is more appropriate for your New Year celebration?

Did You Hear?

:: Just a few days after Britney’s engagement to her current boyfriend Jason Trawick, rumors are flying that her ex Justin Timberlake proposed to Jessica Biel during a vacation in Wyoming. Double wedding, anyone?! [Pink Is The New Blog]

:: R. Kelly has 32 chapters of “Trapped In The Closet” waiting to be released. All he needs is the money. Time to empty your bank accounts, people, this gift needs to be given to the world! [MTV Buzzworthy]

:: Were some of your favorite pop stars drawn into a Batman comic? [ONTD]

:: Rihanna and Drake will be filming the video for his Take Care title track. [Prophet Blog]

:: PopDust picks their favorite songs of the year, and their list includes apocalyptic club-bangers, party anthems, and boof boofs. [PopDust]

After the jump, find out which acts you can find on the tube today.

Music On TV:

:: Late Show With David Letterman (CBS) — Childish Gambino
:: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno (NBC) — Il Volo
:: Last Call With Carson Daly (NBC) — Gavin Rossdale
:: The Colbert Report (Comedy Central) — The Black Keys (repeat)
:: The Talk (CBS) — Allison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas
:: Ellen DeGeneres (ABC) — Lady Antebellum (repeat)
:: Wendy Williams — Boyz II Men (repeat)

Last night on the final performance night of The X Factor, the Top 3 — Josh Krajcik, Melanie Amaro, and Chris Rene — got some all-star support for one of their numbers. Avril Lavigne stopped by to bust out her debut single “Complicated” with Chris, while Melanie teamed up with sea cap’n R. Kelly on his overly sentimental, incredibly overplayed “I Believe I Can Fly”. Our favorite duet, though, had to be Josh singing alongside a sleek-haired Alanis Morissette, not just because “Uninvited” is the best song of the three (it clearly is), but because any excuse for Alanis to return to the stage should be celebrated. Watch all three performances below.

Josh Krajcik & Alanis Morissette – “Uninvited”

Chris Rene & Avril Lavigne – “Complicated”

Melanie Amaro & R. Kelly – “I Believe I Can Fly”

Which duet was your favorite from the finals? And who do you think should win the whole shebang? Wouldn’t it be bananas if Melanie Amaro wins? Do any of these singers deserve a $5 million recording contract? Let us know what you think on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments below.

Did You Hear?

:: The rumors about Rihanna’s exhaustion might not be that exaggerated — at her Loud tour stop in Portugal, RiRi ran off stage during “What’s My Name” so she could vomit. “I ran off stage to throw up, halfway thru Whats My Name…made it back juuuust in time for RudeBoy,” she tweeted after the concert ended. We bet she was just puking pink ribbons again… right? [PopDust]

:: R. Kelly is selling his house. We hear the closet space is extremely cozy. [PopWatch]

:: Fall over this hot remix of Jessie J’s “Domino”. [Arjan Writes]

:: Celebrate Britney Spears’ engagement to Jason Trawick by flipping through a photo gallery of the couple through the years. Aww. [Socialite Life]

After the jump, find out which acts you can find on the tube today.

Music On TV:

:: Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS) — Goo Goo Dolls
:: Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) — Carole King
:: Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC) — T-Pain (repeat)
:: Last Call With Carson Daly (NBC) — Thievery Corporation
:: Live With Kelly (ABC) — Lady Antebellum
:: Ellen DeGeneres (ABC) — Kelly Clarkson (repeat)
:: The View (ABC) — Florence + The Machine
:: The Talk (CBS) — Miranda Lambert
:: Chelsea Lately (E!) — Robin Thicke

Prepare to bump N’ grind on the high seas, folks! Because R. Kelly may believe he can fly, but he can also apparently navigate the the ocean blue while crooning his hits. Yes, on October 1 next year, Concert Cruise ship Destiny leaves Florida for “a 5-day Romantic ‘Love Letter Cruise’, from Miami to Grand Turks.” The highlight of the trip is touted as this: “R. Kelly presents a fabulous performance, never seen before at SEA.”

As we glanced over the activities lined up for Destiny’s sexy voyage, we saw Stepping Class and actually had to do a double-take, because, quite frankly, we thought it said Stripping Class. (Can you blame us?)

In addition to Soula Coaster scribe R. Kelly’s performance — where he will presumably mix his hits in with tracks from forthcoming album Black Panties — those who cough up cash for the cruise are also in for the “12 Play” Basketball Game, a massage, and “more than 20 various games and activities on board,” along with “special guest artists.”

Depending on how many of your friends you pile up in your room, prices for the trip range from $999 to $2,999 per person.

Bon voyage!

R. Kelly tweeted a brand new, incredibly specific song to his fans, majestically titled “Shut Up”. After his not-so-complimentary opening shout-out (“This song goes out to all the people out there be runnin’ their mouth / And they don’t know what they’re saying / shut up”), Kelly makes direct mention of his recent throat surgery, getting his voice back, and the doctors who performed the operation. This is less a song, and more a diary set to music. In fact, can his autobiography Soula Coaster: The Diary Of Me please just be a cassette tape of Kells sing-talking his life story?

R. Kelly – “Shut Up”

Kelly’s autobiography Soula Coaster: The Diary of Me (seriously, we’ll never get tired of writing that) is scheduled for release in Spring 2012.

[Via Consequence Of Sound]

If you’ve ever wanted to go into the mind that came up with the world’s most baffling musical opus “Trapped In The Closet”, R. Kelly has written an autobiography and given it a title worthy of the man it’s about: Soula Coaster: The Diary Of Me. (That’s almost as good a title as Black Panties.) The cover features Kells, dressed in a tux and posing like Jesus on the red carpet, standing among many, many microphones and no people. If we figured out the metaphor correctly, that’s kind of a bummer, no?

Thankfully feeling better after undergoing throat surgery, R. Kelly is ready to release his 11th studio album, and has revealed that his new set of inevitably naughty-minded tunes will called Black Panties. The lead single will be a song called “10 Minutes” — is that in reference to how long before Kells disrobes you of said panties? The LP has gone through various name changes, from Zodiac to The Return of 12 Play: Night of the Living Dead, but c’mon now — Black Panties is obviously the best choice for an R. Kelly album. [Via Rap-Up]

R. Kelly will be trapped in the ER for the time being — the “When A Woman Loves” singer was rushed to Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital after complaining about throat pain, and underwent emergency throat surgery. A rep for Kelly says he’ll be “laid up indefinitely”. Sadly, this isn’t Kells’ only problem at the moment — he currently faces a $2.9 million foreclosure on his Chi-Town mansion as he hasn’t paid the mortgage since June of 2010.

New mommy Mariah Carey has finally surfaced, and so has an R. Kelly remix of one of her songs. Mimi’s Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel track “Betcha Gon’ Know” was remixed by R. Kelly for the diva’s never-released Angels Advocate LP. Though that remix album never saw the light of day, we still get to hear the song — check out the R&B crooner singing from the perspective of a woman with an adulterous husband on Mariah’s tune.

This is the second R. Kelly remix of a pop song we’ve heard this week, following his spin on Britney Spears’ “Till The World Ends.” He also took a whirl on Kelly Rowland’s “Motivation.”

R. Kelly feat. Mariah Carey – “Betcha Gon Know (I Check)”

The stream-of-conciousness, the various voices for multiple players, the cheating plotline — this is basically a new chapter of Kelly’s bizarre masterwork “Trapped In The Closet.” It may very well be lifted from the additional 15 chapters of the musical melodrama he has yet to unleash on the public. May we suggest you just turn this whole saga into a one man show on Broadway?

Mariah Carey is reportedly dropping another album sometime this year, though much of her time might be spent waxing poetic about the early 90s pop scene with Paula Abdul on The X Factor.

Is it the end of the world already? We never thought we’d see anyone dare to try and top the pop princess trio already featured on the “Till The World Ends” remix by Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, and Ke$ha. We were wrong. R. Kelly has boldly gone where those heavy-hitting divas have gone before, and rather than raunch up the track as he did with his remix of Kelly Rowland’s “Motivation,” the “When A Woman Loves” crooner just lays down his vocals over the original track, needlessly repeating “Party till the world ends” a bunch. Hear it for yourself below.

We’d much rather listen to Britney’s original than this uninspired remix when doomsday comes. Or, if you really need an R. Kelly fix, why not take a listen to his “Fireworks” on this 4th of July instead?

Kelly Rowland’s “Motivation” is the slow-jam of the season for a reason: the original Jim Jonsin-produced track is a boudoir burner that showcases the full spectrum of Kelly’s vocals, from sweet to sultry. That’s why it’s also earned the respect — and remix treatment — of a whole array of hitmakers, including Diplo, Jeremih and The-Dream. Now heavyweight love letter author R. Kelly has stepped into the breach, and his verse takes Kelly’s locale from the bedroom to the, uh, delivery room. Check out his lyrics — and help us settle the “Motivation” remix wars once and for all — below.

Kellz isn’t known for subtlety in his slow-jams, and here he ratchets up the raunch (on a song that’s fairly NSFW as is) with a verse that recalls some of his most direct tunes: “Baby I’m gon’ be your motivation/ Take you to school, give you a sex education/ Bend it over real quick without hesitation/ I’m gonna get you pregnant, you’ll have the next generation.”

He also leaves no doubt about whose remix he expects to help continue Motivation’s Hot 100 success: “I’m ’bout to get rich / off this here remix / It’s Kellz in this bitch / I’m born for this s**t.”

That may be, but he does have some stiff competition: as Kelly enjoys one of the biggest hits of her post-Destiny’s Child career (amidst B season, no less), we’ve assembled our picks for the most intriguing remixes of the song below. Each offers something a little different: Diplo toys with Kelly’s own vocals and takes the track in a dancier direction; Jeremih’s brings an airy R&B touch that syncs with Kelly neatly. Who re-imagined “Motivation” the best?

Kelly Rowland “Motivation” (R. Kelly remix)

Kelly Rowland “Motivation” (The-Dream remix)

Kelly Rowland “Motivation” (Jeremih remix)

Kelly Rowland “Motivation” (Ill Factor / Linney remix)

Kelly Rowland “Motivation” (Diplo remix)

All of these ultimately help crank up the heat for Here I Am. But which version motivates you to hit repeat?

You can also let us know on Twitter or Facebook.

Jennifer Hudson, last seen making Oprah shed tears at the Kennedy Center Honors, will release her sophomore album in two months, says her website. I Remember Me will be out March 22, and features work by such writers and producers as Ryan Tedder, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz, Rich Harrison, Ne-Yo and Stargate. Also on board is R. Kelly, who co-wrote the LP’s first single “Where You At.”

“I’m excited about this album because it’s almost like a renewal for me, reflected through the chapters of my life,” Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer says on her site. “I’ve called it I Remember Me because of the journey I’ve been on. I’ve learned that life constantly surprises you, no matter your plans. My fans have been so loyal, I feel like they have been on this journey with me and I can’t wait for them to hear the new album.”

A short clip of “Where You At” is streaming here, and those who pre-order the I Remember Me album get a free download of the single on January 24.

“You said you’d be that shoulder for my eyes to cry on, so you would be the one that I depend on,” J-Hud sings on the ballad, which prominently features a piano, thick beats and melodic backing vocals.

Are you excited for the return of J-Hud?