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R. Kelly is one of those artists who is almost certainly a musical genius. But what’s best described as his tabloid behavior and his inability to keep anything trapped in his closet for very long tend to obscure the talent in favor of the scandal. Even so, he is one of the best-selling artists of the past 15 years, not to mention one of the most prolific, putting out 15 albums (and selling 50 million) in less than 15 years.

Born 40 years ago in Chicago, his full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly. He made his first mark as the leader of Public Announcement, a group that went platinum with their first album, 1992’s Born Into the ‘90s. But after a year, he realized he could do better as a solo artist and left the group behind.

Proving he meant business, his first album, 1994’s 12 Play, had three hits, “Bump and Grind,” which went to number one, “"Sex Me (Pt. 1)" and "Your Body's Callin Me." Perhaps more significantly, he established his range of talents by writing and producing Aaliyah's first album, Age Ain't Nothing But a Number, including the hits “Back and Forth” and “At Your Best,” which would sell more than three million copies.

The next year, he bested himself by selling over five million copies of R. Kelly and by working with the Isley Brothers and both Janet and Michael Jackson. His trajectory continued in 1996 when, at the request of Michael Jordan, he wrote “I Believe I Can Fly” for the Space Jam soundtrack, which became a global smash hit and something of an instant classic. Then, in 1998, he came out with a double album, R., which contained the hit single, “I’m Your Angel,” a duet with Celine Dion that was number one for six weeks and helped account for some of the eight million records it sold.

The 21st century has been just as kind. Although his collaboration with Jay-Z, The Best of Both Worlds, didn’t do the numbers people expected and the 2002 album, Loveland, was scrapped because it had been bootlegged to death, Kelly hit the jackpot with 2003’s Chocolate Factory and 2004’s double album, Happy People/U Saved Me (the latter being atypically non-sexual and inspirational, even), as well as with his collaboration with the Isley Brothers’ Bodykiss and his own boy band, B2K.

2004 also saw the release of Jay-Z and Kelly’s The Best of Both Worlds: Unfinished Business. This album was more successful than the first, entering the Billboard charts at number one. The tour that paired the two, however, was a disaster. Although he claimed he was justified because the lighting on the tour was unflattering, Kelly acted like a diva, hiding in his bus, showing up late, complaining and performing listlessly. After one of Jay-Z’s employees, Tyran Smith, sprayed R. Kelly and four bodyguards with either Mace or pepper spray. Jay-Z fired R. Kelly. Kelly fired back by hitting Jay-Z with a $16 million lawsuit. (The suit will most likely be settled out of court, to R. Kelly’s benefit.)

2005 saw him release the album, TP-3: Reloaded, as well as the stand-alone single, “In the Kitchen,” a live mainstay for Kelly and the first installment of his mini-soap opera, “Trapped in the Closet.” Since then, there have been two more installments of the song cycle, which has been filmed and featured on venues like MTV, a tour and DVD of it called Mr. Show Biz Presents: The Light It Up Tour. Most recently, he released Double Up, a primarily upbeat affair with guests like Snoop, T.I., T-Pain, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Nelly and Usher. It entered the charts at number one and went platinum within six weeks.

It is indeed one of the most impressive resumes in contemporary music. But chances are, R. Kelly will be equally remembered for his troubles with the law than for the music. On June 6, 2002, Kelly was scarred with a sexual scandal when he was charged with sleeping with a 14-year-old girl. (As of now, seven charges were thrown out, but 14 of them for solicitation and child pornography are still pending.)

The nature of the offense, coupled with the signature raunchiness of much of R. Kelly’s work, just goes to show: No matter how much you believe you can fly, pesky problems that don’t stay trapped in your closet can dog you for years, no matter how many albums you sell, even if your name is R. Kelly.