By Tom Matich
Before R. Kelly burst out of the bedroom closet, he unapologetically allowed fans to hear the walls talk.
On his 1995 single "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)," Kelly assumed the role of a man sleeping with the wife of big shot Mr. Biggs (played by Ronald Isley). While Kelly's "down low" quagmire didn't hold a gay connotation, his whispering chorus "We can keep it on the down low/Nobody has to know" is easily transferable to the "on the DL" subculture of today.
Since 2002, Kelly's personal life has ventured into a bizarre Michael Jackson realm as he awaits trial for child pornography, charges that resulted from infamous videotape that allegedly shows the singer engaging in intercourse with a 14-year-old girl. Meanwhile, Kelly's music career is in top flight, as he's dominated urban radio with a plethora of mammoth singles since being indicted five years ago.
Along with maintaining his innocence, Kelly continues to dabble in freaky tales, as The New Yorker magazine recently noted: "Many people facing serious criminal charges related to sexual conduct would not include a song called 'Sex Planet' on their CD."
But alas – and perhaps for our own betterment – Kelly isn't ashamed of his sexuality, no matter how perverted it may be. Gay men can laugh and learn from "Trapped in the Closet," as with the scandal involving U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, an Idaho Republican, which highlights that human sexuality – when desperately caged inside a hidden fortress – is destined for discovery.
Kelly coined "Trapped" a "hip-hopora," and he's the most titillating tenor of our time as he comically narrates every detail (cars parked in driveways and phones vibrating) and dialogue (southern accents and midgets using inhalers) with his hilariously-overt dramatic vocals.
Just as Craig was humorously caught in an airport bathroom stall with his pants down, the characters in "Trapped" find their web of affairs (a midget impregnating a cheating housewife) and lies (a closeted pastor) unraveling with sidesplitting results – as the players, Kelly in particular, believe pointing pistols and shouting will solve the conflict.
In the opening chapters, Rufus the pastor discovers his wife, Kathy, cheating with Sylvester (Kelly). Rufus thus reveals that he's also been cheating – with a deacon named Chuck. The love affair between Rufus and Chuck echoes the scandal involving evangelical pastor Ted Haggard, who was outed by former prostitute Mike Jones, claiming the two had sex and smoked crystal meth together.
Like Craig, Haggard's hypocrisy was his firm opposition to gay rights, when he himself engaged in homosexuality activity. But unlike Craig, who claims to not be or never have been gay, Haggard admitted to "sexual immorality" and has since been reportedly "cured" of his wickedness.
Available on DVD now is chapters 13-22, Kelly's latest installments of "Trapped." During the 18th entry, a heartbroken Chuck phones Rufus, who's trying to sustain his straight identity, and cries to Rufus that he's sick in the hospital. Church gossip gets wind of this and eventually it's revealed that Rufus has "the package." The climax of the new chapters occurs when all the interlinking characters telephone each other about "the package" – which, if one were to guess, would be HIV/AIDS.
Perhaps Kelly is warning about the dangers of being "on the DL" in the black community. This is noble, but dangerous and inaccurate.
"I think this perception of the down low persists in the media because it's sexy," University of North Carolina School of Medicine's Lisa Hightow-Weidman, M.D. told AIDS Weekly regarding the misconceptions of the DL lifestyle. "It's easier to ignore, take the blame off society, poverty and structural factors if you have a scapegoat."
What can we learn from R. Kelly, a man whose own horniness may be his eventual downfall? When you're trapped in the closet with a pistol-waving midget, it won't be as easy to laugh. Just ask Sen. Craig.
