Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 1-12

By now, everyone should be familiar with the name R. Kelly, especially in 2005, even your grandparents should be familiar with the name by now, which is kind of a shocker, truthfully. If R. Kelly had to get recognized, it's either the scandal he got caught in, or the Musical he's notoriously recognized for, Trapped in the Closet, A 12 part musical, that is, to say the least, actually pretty good. Rap is okay to listen to, but I'm not absorbed in it. This is about as far away from rap as you can get. You don't hear anything about Urban Culture, instead, you get an incredible story, which at times, is hideously outlandish, but, at the same time, is not to be taken too seriously.

The story follows Sylvester (R. Kelly) who awakens in a bed that's not his own. A woman approaches him that's not his love either. He cannot explain what is happening, but is told almost moments after he has woken up to hide, because her husband is approaching the room they are in. The best place to hide is the closet. Sylvester is now taking up hiding, but is soon discovered. The only thing he can do now, is try to get out of a confrontation he never tried to be in the first place.

This short, but very exhilarating piece of work is but one chapter of 11 chapters in The Trapped in the Closet musical. The rest follow with enough twists and turns to astonish even the most well distinguished movie-goer (Such as myself) into unbelievable moments that no one could possibly figure out.

Yes, it's all entirely ridiculous to believe or follow, but this short film/musical isn't meant to be realistic in any way. If you think of yourself as a person who sticks close to a movie's plot, and wish for the program to end how it should, you'll be severely disappointed.

Think of this movie as a post-modern Rocky Horror, with Rap overtones, Shakespearean dialog that's been chopped up and translated for the present time viewer/listener, All with R. Kelly narrating.

The first 12 chapters contain some of the most creative and innovative RnB video footage to date, as R Kelly's narration and vocals relate a poetic drama, constituting the pinnacle of self-deprecating nonsensical RnB music video production.

This piece stands alone. It's a song about nothing, forming the soundtrack and dialogue of a movie, not surprisingly, about nothing. It's outlandish, unbelievable, uses convenient yet impossible plot twists, and could be seen, quite frankly, as vulgar.

However, this viewer can't get enough. It's a bold move and a fresh take on RnB by a man whose public image has suffered in recent years. This re-establishes R Kelly as an Artist and is accessible to a viewer who can appreciate witty commentary on a genre by a creator from within that genre. Broken in all the right ways!

Probably the greatest musical masterpiece of our time. See R Kelly's vision come to life in a whirlwind of love, deception, passion, drama, comedy, and the rhyming of words with the same word. Watch as R Kelly proves to the world that even hardcore G's like him can instill a rainbow of emotions in any audience. With twelve 3 minute chapters and usually about the same number of plot twists as minutes in each chapter, how can you go wrong? The chapters each have a sense of completion so when the next chapter starts it seems too good to be true. Rumors of another 12 chapters keep me going through the day. Buy this DVD, it might be the best decision of your life.

"Trapped in the Closet," the brainchild of rapper R. Kelley, should not be taken seriously at all. You can look at R. Kelley's terrible rhyming, ridiculous plot, monotonous music that goes on for 35 minutes with no variation, homophobia, misogyny, and immorality and bemoan that this is our generation's "Odyssey." Or, you can laugh. And that is what I did. Whether he meant it or not, "Trapped in the Closet" feels like the greatest Saturday Night Live skit ever put together (in fact, SNL did parody this and it was not at all as funny as the real thing). Essentially, it's a parody of R. Kelley's world without trying to be. You will not regret watching this.

I could tell in the first 10 seconds of watching trapped in the closet that this was going to be an instant classic. R Kelly is truly a genius.. No, a GOD! His voice is amazing and his rhymes are genius(like beretta with dresser) After each chapter ending with R Kelly singing the last word quieter an quieter I didn't want it to end and you know what? It didn't ever end!!(well it did eventually) But I haven't had the urge to watch something over and over all day since I watched xanadu. I love how he sings the whole time and everyone is just lip-synching, oh and the one white person in the plot has a southern accent. You can imagine how great hearing R Kelly sing in a southern accent while this fat white lady is lip-synching. Bottom line: Trapped in the Closet is pure f...ing gold. Every time I watch it i get something new from it that I missed because I was probably busy crying or laughing or both...If you get the DVD watch the commentary- R Kelly smoking a cigar on a couch in front of the movie mostly pointing at the movie and looking at the camera, he doesn't really say much... I know R Kelly, I was speechless too.