R. KELLY MIXTAPE!!!

Mixtape: The Demo Tape

Headliner: R. Kelly

Co-Starring: DJ Drama and DJ Skee

Key Cameos: "Super Man High" (featuring OJ Da Juiceman), "Playaz in Da Club" (featuring Plies)

Essential Info: R. Kelly has pretty much been on the low since his troubles with the law ended last year. That 12 Play: Fourth Quarter album that was slated for the end of 2008 never surfaced, and besides showing up at the Velvet Room with Jazze Pha and DJ Infamous a few months ago, we haven't really heard a peep from the Pied Piper.

Well, we hear Kells is almost done with the new album but decided not to just jump out there with a single and video. He wanted to reintroduce himself with his first-ever mixtape.
"He's never done a mixtape before, and it's like his demo for the new album," DJ Skee said of The Demo Tape. "He's coming back with a new generation of the music business, a new generation of music. All these kids coming up are up on other stuff. He wanted to come back out and get everyone familiar on who he is."

"I wanted to do something different," Kelly said. "I wanted to get closer to the streets. It's the first time an R&B artist has done a mixtape on this level. It's a way to start over and give my fans something new and fresh again. I think it's great for music!"

Kelly teamed up with Skee and DJ Drama and made the mixtape by exchanging e-mails. Kelly would make the music in Chicago and send it out to the two DJs; Skee and Dram would then add their touches.

"He was originally gonna call it The Remix Killa," Skee said. "He has a lot of what he calls his 'remix killa sh--.' That's kinda his mantra. But we have some original records on there — some stuff that's not gonna be on his album and some stuff that's he had in the vault. It's a combination of a little bit of both.

"He remixed Dream's sh--," Skee said. " 'Superman High' with OJ Da Juiceman. He remixed 'Every Girl' by Lil Wayne and Young Money. The Keri Hilson 'Turning Me On.' He's got some sh--. It's Kells. He's got this one with Akon on there, a couple of original ones. There's a record called 'Club to the Bedroom' that leaked, so we got the mastered, real version on there. Then just a couple of other Kells R&B ballads on there."

R. Kelly told us late Monday that his album doesn't have a title, and, as of now, he's not naming it. He's letting the fans call it whatever they want.