R&B superstar R. Kelly has written 22 chapters for his ongoing musical saga, “Trapped in the Closet,” he said Wednesday backstage at BET’s 25th anniversary concert in Los Angeles. As previously reported, the first 12 installments are collected on the DVD “Trapped in the Closet,” due Tuesday (Nov. 1) via Jive.
Kelly also said he’s like to convert “Trapped” into a television show and that has recently been in the studio recording a new, as-yet-untitled album. The artist’s recent set, “TP3: Reloaded,” debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 1.02 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
— Gail Mitchell, L.A.
In additional BET backstage chatter, Tyrese said he’s making the transition from R&B into rap under the moniker Black Ty. The artist is at work on an album called “Alter Ego,” a double-CD project that will feature R&B on one disc and hip-hop on the other. Among the confirmed guests artists is Kurupt.
Tyrese’s last album, 2003’s “I Wanna Go There,” peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 16 on The Billboard 200.
Having recently been seen opposite OutKast’s Andre 3000 and Mark Wahlberg in the film “Four Brothers,” Tyrese will appear in the Navy-themed “Annapolis,” which will hit U.S. theaters in late January.
— Gail Mitchell, L.A.
Slipknot postponed its scheduled shows last night (Oct. 27) and tonight in Philadelphia due to the death of group member Shawn “Clown” Crahan’s father. The band will return to Philadelphia on Nov. 8, replacing what was originally intended to be the second of a two-night stand in Worcester, Mass.
The band’s planned Oct. 30-31, Nov. 1, run in New York has been canceled, as has a Nov. 3 show in Lewiston, Maine. The trek will resume Nov. 4 in Montreal. All tickets for the canceled shows will be refunded via points of purchase.
As previously reported, Slipknot’s first live album, “9.0 Live,” will be released Tuesday via Roadrunner.
— Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.