R. Kelly "Trapped" at No. 1

07/13/2005 3:18 PM, E! Online
David Jenison

R. Kelly is out of the closet and onto the charts.

Despite a litany of legal troubles, most involving his purported penchant for videotaping sexual encounters, the R&B star is back at number one on the Billboard 200 pop album chart with TP.3 Reloaded--thanks in part to the controversial, voyeuristic new single and video, "Trapped in the Closet," about a adulterous encounter gone wrong.

TP.3 Reloaded, which also includes cameos by Snoop Dogg, the Game and Twista, sold 491,000 copies last week, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures issued Wednesday.

The 38-year-old singer, who has had nearly 30 Top 40 hits in his career, nixed plans to shoot a video for the song "Sex in the Kitchen" in favor of creating the five-part mini-drama with "Trapped in the Closet." In the video, R. Kelly must hide in the closet when his lover's husband suddenly comes home. Both the song cycle and video have been in heavy rotation.

The chart-topping success comes after a spate of bad PR. His attempts to tour with Jay-Z in support of their Best of Both Worlds disc ended up with Kelly kicked off the tour and dueling lawsuits (a judge recently dismissed Jay-Z's suit; Kelly's is still pending). His trial on kiddie-porn charges--stemming from a widely circulated sex tape and mocked by the likes of Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Cedric the Entertainer--was set to kick off this month but has just been pushed back once again. He was also ordered to give a deposition in an unrelated sex tape case involving a woman who says he illicitly recorded them and let the tape be leaked.

TP.3 Reloaded shows that Kelly is still commercially viable. The disc is technically a sequel to 2000's TP-2.com, which also opened on top with first-week sales topping 500,000. In between, he also topped the charts with 2003's Chocolate Factory.

Kelly's chart-topping bow was among the trio of newcomers in the Top 10. Missy Elliott's The Cookbook sold nearly 176,000 copies to open at number two. She leads the album with the self-produced single "Lose Control"; the disc features guest appearances by Ciara, Slick Rick and American Idol winner Fantasia, among others.

The third and final Top 10 bow belonged to Baton Rouge rapper Webbie, whose solo debut, Savage Life, sold 68,000 copies at number eight. The disc features the hit "Give Me That." The emcee, previously known as one half of the rap duo Lil' Boosie and Webbie, is also featured on the much hyped Hustle & Flow soundtrack, which hit stores this week.

Meanwhile, fresh off featured performances at Live 8 on July 2, Coldplay's X&Y and Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi both hung tough at three and four, respectively. On the single's chart, Carey's "We Belong Together" remained at number one.

While there were three new releases in the upper echelons of the chart, the next best debut came way down at 77 with the soundtrack Fantastic Four, despite the film's dominance at the box office. The album features tracks from such heavyweights as Velvet Revolver, Taking Back Sunday, Joss Stone, Ryan Cabrera and Simple Plan.

Wrapping up the notable debuts: Got Hits, Vol. 2 at 110 and Sufjan Stevens' Illinoise at 121.

Here a recap of the Top 10 albums for last week:

1. TP.3 Reloaded, R. Kelly
2. The Cookbook, Missy Elliott
3. X&Y, Coldplay
4. The Emancipation of Mimi, Mariah Carey
5. USA (United State of Atlanta), Ying Yang Twins
6. Somewhere Down in Texas, George Strait
7. Monkey Business, Black Eyed Peas
8. Savage Life, Webbie
9. In Your Honor, The Foo Fighters
10. Love, Angel, Music, Baby, Gwen Stefani