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R Kelly: Hammersmith Apollo, London

Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 25 April 2011

IT HAS been more than a decade since R Kelly, the self-proclaimed King of R&B, last passed through London – time enough for his original fans to have grown up and stayed loyal despite the child-pornography charges (of which he was acquitted), which spent six years wending their way through court. The Lycra-and-bling-encrusted fans packing out the first of two UK dates have one thing in common: rose-coloured glasses that transform an average-looking 44-year-old with a small paunch into a prince among men.

Total word count of piece: 438

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