Soulacoaster: The Diary Of Me (2012) - Plot & Excerpts
R.Kelly "Soulacoaster"!When I first heard R.Kelly was writing a "tell-all" book, I had mixed feelings. I thought to myself,as a music fan do I really want to know everything about the music industry's most celebrated male artist? I started to question what were his motives and intentions for writing this book? Then I sat and thought to myself; simply because he can! This man has a right to tell his story and not be judged or condemned by the public. For years he was quite about his personal battles and struggles and I guess he was ready to bare his soul. What's wrong with that? The man who was nicknamed "The R and B music" never seemed to have a problem revealing himself to his fans through his music videos or on stage. So why would the media expect such a bold personality to shy away from connecting with his fans and telling the world his side of the much speculated about stories. Having recently released even more chapters of his infamous and seemingly never ending saga "Trapped In The Closet". R.Kelly's musical career never really paused. Even through the notorious trial which ended in a not-guilty verdict in 2008. R. Kelly's music ( Double Up, Love Letter and Write Me Back") is even more powerful and soul-stirring after over 20 years as a solo artist R.Kelly has the unique ability to touch the masses with his powerful voice, while evoking pain, passion and pleasure. R. Kelly's music career is moving at a rapid pace once again, due to his Write Me Back tour w/ r&b diva Tamia. R. Kelly's music has always been very honest and testimonial , so releasing a "tell-all" book was an extremely clever idea. It should help him to reconnect to his core audience, the music critics who wrote him off, as well as attract a new audience. When I say audience I mean a younger generation of R&B music lovers. I'm talking about the one's who might have been concieved to the "12 Play" album. The one's whose junior high school graduation song was "I Believe I Can Fly. The same one's who are just know discovering the late-Aaliyah Haughton's music, and may be wondering "who is that man who wrote and produced her entire first album and is also in the background on the cover of her first album (Age Aint Nothin' But A Number") cover?" Who is R.Kelly? Well, 'Soulacoaster" helps us understand exactly who Robert Kelly is.This book invites us into the heart, mind and soul of a music icon whose personal life and controversial persona almost overshadowed the art and brilliance of one of R&B music's greatest writers, producers and composers. He talks about his pleasant experience working with Celine Dion, Biggie, Gladys Knight's encounter w/ his mom before she passed and meeting his former-manager Barry Hankerson. He also speaks about his not so pleasant experiences as a newcomer in the music industry. His beginnings with Public Announcement, the prize money that never came and sharing the stage with the late Gerald Levert. He even opens up about the day his first child was born and his odd-fixation with McDonalds coffee with cream and sugar. What really touched me is how he openly expressed his love and admiration for his mother and her last words to him on her death bed. "Soulacoaster" chronicles the life of the self-professed "King of R&B". The book touches on the lost of his first girlfriend Lulu, his challenges with reading, and the lost of his dog as a child. In my opinion the best part of the book wasn't the beef with Jay-z while on tour,but about his love for his children; and being a father.Written by: Lynwood W Not bad. Couldn't decide if it was guileless or beyond disingenuous; then I got to the part where he talks about his infamous peeing-on-underage-girl sex tape. He dances and weaves around the topic and, absurdly, tries to paint it as a case of the world ganging up on R. Kelly. I think I laughed out loud at that point. Gonna go with 'beyond disingenuous.'This isn't exactly a tell-all autobiography; he doesn't even touch upon getting married to Aaliyah when she was 15 (!) There are also weird omissions; most pressingly, did R. Kelly ever learn to read and write? A lot of the book focuses on his shame about being unable to learn to read; he has some kinda hardcore dyslexia, and even when he graduated high school he was functionally illiterate. And then he keeps referencing those dark days when he couldn't read and everybody made fun of him... and he keeps mentioning it as an issue in his adult life, like when he auditions for a musical and can't read the script... but at SOME point he must've learned to read and write, surely?Or maybe he didn't. But if that's the case then it's pretty ironic that he 'wrote' this book! There's no ghostwriter credited on Soulacoaster. No 'with Gore Vidal' or 'as told to Toure' or anything like that. Just says R. Kelly. I suppose he could've dictated it.Even though this book skips all the bad stuff and even though his portrayal of himself is ridiculously overripe ('saint vs sinner', 'I'm gonna be the best singer in the world for YOU mama!' as his mama lies on her deathbed, literally), R. Kelly is fascinating enough that it's still worth a read. He has this child-like quality about him, mixed with extremely adult sexuality... Trapped in the Closet basically encapsulates the mystery of R. Kelly. Dream logic, extreme literality, mysticism, a dose of the hood, 3 doses of knockin boots... is this even a sentence Let's not forget the song where he compares his girl to his jeep. MULTIPLE songs! 'reignition' does it too. He's very proud of the jeep thing. In conclusion, R. Kelly is a land of many contrasts
What do You think about Soulacoaster: The Diary Of Me (2012)?
Adore Kels! Happy to FINALLY read hos story from his own hand.
—gabbii
