R. Kelly Is the Hero of His Own Disingenuous Epic

On Monday morning, the R&B singer R. Kelly since the release of his 2016 holiday album, . The 19-minute confessional “I Admit” plumbs the 51-year-old artist’s personal and professional history, taking listeners on a lengthy, convoluted thematic journey that affirms Kelly’s positioning as its (and ) hero. It is a difficult, dissonant track; for much of the nearly 20 minutes that “I Admit” spends drawing listeners into Kelly’s internal world, the singer’s voice is as soothing as his subject matter is disturbing. With a stomach-churning mix of self-pity and hubris, Kelly sings about a litany of difficulties he’s faced, from his money troubles and learning disability (“Said I had dyslexia, couldn’t read all them contracts, yeah / Now the truth in this message is I’m a broke-ass legend”) to recent (“Say I’m abusing these women, what the fuck that’s some absurd shit (what?) / They’re brainwashed, really? (really) / Kidnapped, really? (really) / Can’t eat, really? (really) / Real talk, that shit sound silly (yeah)”). He details various sexual acts he engages in with women he says are “overage.” He). He recounts various childhood traumas he endured, including serial sexual abuse at the hands of a family member. He lashes out at people he believes have abandoned him—relatives, reporters, and fans alike. The song is a reckoning set to melody.