R Kelly: The 'R' in R 'n' B Collection (Jive): When Billboard magazine tabulated a Biggest Hits Ever feature for a 100th anniversary issue in November 1994, R. Kelly's Bump 'N' Grind was named as the No 1 R 'n' B single of all time.

Six months earlier it had given Kelly his first 'Pop' chart topper and had remained in pole position on the R 'n' B charts of 12 weeks - still a record. Kelly had been inspired to write the song from a personal experience. "At the time I really was into this girl, but she didn't want me like I wanted her," he has admitted. "I just went into the studio and wrote it. I didn't see anything wrong with it. She did." Bump 'N' Grind had been due to appear on the soundtrack to the movie Menace II Society, but was pulled by Kelly's manager Barry Hankerson. However, Hankerson did allow a contribution to another movie, Space Jam. Its concept came from a series of TV commercials where Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan played basketball against a variety of cartoon characters. A Bulls fan himself, Kelly was thrilled when Jordan asked him to write a new song. He took his inspiration from his favourite song as a teenager - George Benson's The Greatest Lover Of All - and came up with I Believe I Can Fly. At the 1997 Grammy Awards, I Believe I Can Fly won Best R 'n' B Song, Best R 'n' B Male Vocal Performance and Best Song Written for a Motion picture.

Published: 30/10/2003