News flash! R. Kelly has announced he will play two concert dates in the UK in the spring of 2011. The first R Kelly Concert will be on April 22, 2011 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London and the second will be on April 23, 2011 at the O2 Apollo in Manchester. These R Kelly tickets are already selling quickly as this R&B star remains an immensely popular throughout Europe, as evident by his performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony. Many are hoping that these two initial shows are just the beginning of much more extensive European and North American tour.

The R Kelly concert announcement comes after Billboard proclaimed R. Kelly the number one selling R&B and Hip Hop artist of the last 25 years. Since beginning his professional music career he has sold over 34 albums worldwide and recorded 11 number one singles.

This music star began his life named Robert Sylvester Kelly, born January 8, 1967 in the South Side of Chicago. Raised by a single parent, his mother was a devout Baptist and it was through her devotion that R. Kelly first began performing at the age of eight before the congregation. A few years later he formed an R&B group, MGM, which performed beneath the L Tracks. MGM, Musically Gifted Men, had their big break after winning the televised talent competition the Big Break and collecting a $100,000 grand prize. By 1991 Kelly had signed with Jive Records and formed a second group, Public Announcement.