BULLETT

It’s a little troublesome the way Trapped in the Closet pigeonholed R. Kelly into some existence as R&B’s resident buffoon, for those casual listeners who were all too happy to laugh at a goofy black guy seemingly offering himself on the altar of unintentionally hilarious comedy. But Kells is as infinite of a presence as they come, and while Closet might’ve provided some cheap giggles at first, it’s a lot more interesting to think about what he’s actually trying to do with a project he described as “a ghetto hip-hop version of General Hospital or One Life to Live.” Most excitingly, he’s dropped the 23rd chapter of Closet via IFC, which brings us back to the saga of Chuck and Sgt. James and Cathy and the rest through an amazing framing device of Kells reading us the story from his lounge like he’s Mr. Rogers, or something. I don’t want to spoil what happens, so you’ll just have to watch for yourself. Rumors place the number of impending Closet chapters between 20 and 30, which would truly be the best.