“My Soul Cries Out”- R. Kelly Sings From Prison: Lessons To Take Home

By Emmanuel Gandu

EXCERPTS
“Oh saviour hear me
I’m lost in this fight
A whisper of grace
Dissolves my fear
My soul cries out
Like wings bound in pain.”

INTRODUCTION
“God, give me a second chance.” This is the theme running through R. Kelly’s rendition of his prison walls musical release in January 2025.
Robert Sylvester Kelly popularly called R. Kelly is a world renowned black American musician. He wrote, produced, and sang this song from the prison walls – a feat that has kept music lovers spell bound in just less than 2 weeks of its release.
An American singer, song writer, and record producer, R. Kelly is credited with prolific commercial successes in R&B, hip hop, soul, and Pop music.
R. Kelly’s musical career was said to have ended in 2019 (but here’s him still releasing) following his arrest, trial and subsequent conviction on many count charges involving sexual abuse of both minors and adults. This trials started way back to the 1990’s with multiple court cases spaning more than 25 years.
Unfortunately, R. Kelly was sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison from 2024 at Butner Medium in North Carolina.
In January 2025, he released this his latest song.

MY SOUL CRIES OUT
It’s a beautiful song that makes one to listen and listen again and again. It can also make one to shed a tear just for the fact that such a good musician would sing this heart breaking rhythms from the confines of the prison walls.
“My soul cries out” is a soulful ballad that reflects on regret, redemption, second chance, and the resilience of the human spirit.
Recorded in prison, the song carries an emotional depth that resonates with listeners, offering a glimpse into Kelly’s distinctive voice conveying both pain and hope.
“My soul cries out” as you should have listened to it by now is more than just a song. It’s a cultural moment encapsulates the struggle between artistic legacy and ethical responsibility.
As the music plays on, listeners and or viewers are left to ponder the weight of an artist’s deeds against the beauty of their creations, navigating through a sea of moral ambiguity in the realm of music appreciation. I’m absolutely certain that both the defense and the prosecution attorneys had a herculean task in reaching an acceptable arbitration of this case bearing in mind the human angles involved.

THE MAN R. KELLY
Born Robert Sylvester Kelly in 1967 in Chicago, R. Kelly is a black American singer, song writer, and record producer. His mother, Joanne was a school teacher, and a devout Baptist. She was also into music where her son Robert learned from.
The identity of his father, who Was absent from Kelly’s life was never known.
During his recording career, Kelly released 18 albums which included a great number of hit singles like “I believe I can fly”, “If I could turn back the hands of time”, “The world’s greatest”, “I’m a flirt”, “Trapped in the closet.”
In 1998 alone Kelly won three Grammy Awards for “I believe I can fly”.
He contributed to songwriting works of musical greats including Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Whitney Houston, Maria Carey, Celine Dione, Justine Bieber, Janet Jackson, Chris Brown, Aaliyah, Usher, Ciara, Tony Braxton, Luther Vandross, and Mary J. Blige. etc.
Kelly sold over 75 million albums and singles worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
R. Kelly has won top Billboard music awards, Grammy Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train, and the American Awards, etc.
For the African continent, Kelly did many collaboration between musicians in Nigeria eg 2Face, in Ghana, Tanzania, Congo, Gabon, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, etc.
In 2010 Kelly donated the proceeds of his song “Sign of Victory” meant for the event of the FIFA World Cup to African charities.
R. Kelly is the undisputed King of R&B, the greatest.

LESSONS TO LEARN
(1) R. Kelly’s “My soul cries out” stands as a complex addition to his legacy, encapsulating both his musical genius the shadow of his legal troubles. He kept the resilience in the face of undownting obstacles. To me, this should be the Nigerian “Never die spirit.”
(2) While the song might resonate with some of us as a cry for redemption, it also services to remind you and I of the gravity of the offense hence the conviction. We should do right all the time by staying out of trouble as best as one can.
(3) The cultural conversation surrounding this musical release reflects broader societal debates about morality, justice, and the enduring power of music to influence and or heal.
It remains to be seen whether R. Kelly will get some kind of relief or amnesty from the American justice system or allow the wheel of justice to run its course. The Nigerian Justice system has much to learn from the fall outs of this case including the final conviction.
(4) The beauty of the prison walls in advanced civilizations allows an unhindered access to and for inmates to explore, advance, create and recreate their God given talents for their personal growth and for the common good.
This is in sharp contrast with the Nigerian prison system which is far from being correctional, but rather extremely punitive, retrogressive, and a hardline approach where inmates come out to be more hardened and terribly criminally minded.
(5) However, I wish to question the criminal and justice system or Amerca, especially where the Blacks, Hispanics and other coloured people are judged harshly while the whites are treated with kid gloves. Unfortunately, this racial segregation is also witnessed in Nigeria where two systems of law exist – one for the big people and the other for the poor ordinary man.
(6) R. Kelly had attained the very top of the world music industry, but he came down like a pack of cards. This is a lesson for our leadership, men and women who have power, fame, money and people entrusted to them but choose to use it recklessly.
(7) Remember to be kind to the people you meet or pass by on your way to the top because you may need them while coming down.

CONCLUSION
Whether this song will be remembered as a profound expression of contribution or as a controversial footnote in R. Kelly’s musical career remains to be seen. But one thing I know is that it undeniably adds another chapter to the complex narrative of music, morality, and redemption.
As a Catholic, I believe in the efficacy of confession, penance, and forgiveness.
Pope John Paul II exemplified this Catholic doctrine when he he visited his attacker in prison and forgave Turkish citizen Ahmet Agca, the Muslim man who shot him point blank in the Vatican.
In fact Jesus Christ directs Christians to forgive.
R. Kelly is Baptist, he is sorry, he asks for forgiveness, for clemency, for a second chance. I do know that God is not a God of denomination. Therefore, God saves because He has the final word in this musical confession.
May God’s will be done, Amen.

THE LYRICS OF MY SOUL CRIES OUT
Hmmm whisper linger
They go through the night
Echoes of choices
That dimmed my light
Lost in shadows
My mind’s maze
Running in silence
Through endless Haze

A weight on my chest
It pulls me below
A storm in my soul
When no calm will show
I built these walls but
They are crumbling within
A quiet scream
Buried deep within
My soul cries out
Like wings bound in pain

Yearning for freedom
To feel whole again
Oh saviour hear me
I’m lost in this fight
Bring your calm to my chaos
Your peace to my night
The mirror reflects
A face I don’t know
A world full of noise
Where I can’t let go

I’m chasing love
That never remains
In a fleeting world
Of heartbreak and chains
A whisper of grace
Dissolves my fear
I’ve wondered so far
Yet you hold me still
Through fire and ashes
You bend my will

My soul cries out
Like rain on dry ground
Longing for healing
Where grace can be found
Oh saviour hold me
I’m breaking inside
Bring your calm to my chaos
Your peace to my night
If I fall will you catch me
If I cry will you stay

In the stillness you are calling
Calling my fears away
Take this heart
Make it whole
Take this pain
Let it cease
In your arms forever
I’ll find my peace
My soul cries out
Like a child

Seeking home
Yearning for shelter
Where I’m not alone
The silence is heavy
But I feel you near
In the stillness you’re calling
Calling my fear away
Oh saviour guide me
I’m ready to trust

Bring your calm to my chaos
Your light to my dust
I’m not dust fade
To shadows depart
Your love’s a melody
That minds my heart
No longer searching
I’ve found my way
In your endless peace
Is where I’ll stay

Peace 🙏
18/1/2025