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12 Play
Studio album by R. Kelly
Released	November 9, 1993 (1993-11-09)
Genre	R&B hip hop soul new jack swing
Length	63:10
Label	Jive
Producer	Barry Hankerson (exec.) R. Kelly Timmy Allen
R. Kelly chronology
Born into the 90's (1992) 12 Play (1993) R. Kelly (1995)
Singles from 12 Play
"Sex Me" Released: August 6, 1993 "Bump N' Grind" Released: January 25, 1994 "Your Body's Callin'" Released: March 11, 1994 "Summer Bunnies" Released: July 28, 1994

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Chicago Tribune
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Entertainment Weekly	C−
Los Angeles Times
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
The Village Voice	C+

12 Play is the debut solo studio album by American R&B and soul singer-songwriter R. Kelly; it was released on November 9, 1993, by Jive Records. The album follows his tenure with R&B group Public Announcement, with whom he released one album, Born into the 90's (1992). It went on to top the R&B albums chart for nine weeks straight, while reaching the second position on the US Billboard 200 chart.

The album features four singles including the sexually-themed singles "Bump n' Grind" (US, number 1), "Your Body's Callin'" (US, number 13), and the more overtly direct "Sex Me, Pts. 1 & 2" (US, number 20). The album serves as the first of a trilogy of albums Kelly released under the "12 Play" moniker including TP-2.com (2000) and TP-3: Reloaded (2005). Since receiving an initially mixed response from critics, 12 Play has received more favorable retrospective criticism.

Background

Following the success of Born into the 90's, as the member of the R&B group Public Announcement, Kelly began touring as an opening act for Gerald Levert and Glenn Jones. During the tour, Kelly said that he became frustrated with the poor lighting and empty seats during his set. To generate more attention during his set, Kelly began thinking of what would be his gimmick to take his show to the next level, something that would make people remember him. Kelly stated: "I thought about it for a couple of days, and I finally came up with a little skit, me just talking to the audience. At the point in the show where I would break down "Honey Love," I would start talking to the audience."

Can I tell you all something? Can I keep it real? Can I tell you about a dream I had last night? Well, I actually had a dream where I made love to Mary J. Blige. Hey, it was only a dream, but it was so vivid, it felt real; but in this dream, it was more than foreplay – it was 12 Play. Can I sing it for y'all? Tell y'all how it went?

The audience yelled "YES!" and Kelly's piano player accompanied him with chords. Kelly then began the countdown, "One. We'll go to my room of fun." The "12 Play" gimmick became so big that when Kelly went to radio stations to promote Born into the 90's, the DJ's wanted to hear "12 Play." The demand for "12 Play" was so big that R. Kelly decided to create an album titled 12 Play. Kelly later said:

"I didn't really know if the album would be as successful as it has been, but I hoped that it would. I was really taking a chance with the concept of this album." – Kelly on the concept of the 12 Play album, 1994.

Track listing

All tracks are written by R. Kelly, except "Sadie" by Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, and Charles Simmons

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.

Chart positions

Certifications and sales

Release history

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1994 (U.S.)

References

1. ^ Kot, Greg (January 20, 1994). "Suave Chicagoan". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
2. ^ Easlea, Daryl (2010). "R. Kelly 12 Play Review". BBC Music. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
3. ^ Aaron, Charles (December 10, 1993). "12 Play". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
4. ^ Christgau, Robert (November 29, 1994). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
5. Birchmeier, Jason. "12 Play – R. Kelly". AllMusic. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
6. Larkin, Colin (2002). "Kelly, R.". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-85227-923-0.
7. Cromelin, Richard (December 12, 1993). "R. Kelly, '12 Play,' Jive". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
8. Harris, Keith (2004). "R. Kelly". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 448. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
9. ^ Kelly, R. (2012). Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me. SmileyBooks. pp. 177–179. ISBN 9781401931773. Retrieved September 18, 2014 – via Google Books.
10. Reynolds, J. R. (December 10, 1994). "Career Milestones Keep Coming For Jive's Kelly". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 50. p. 43. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
11. R. Kelly - 12 Play Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved November 23, 2023
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – R. Kelly – 12 Play" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
13. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
14. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
15. "R. Kelly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
16. "R. Kelly Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
17. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
18. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
19. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
20. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
21. "Canadian album certifications – R. Kelly – 12 Play". Music Canada. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
22. ^ Duffy, Thom (December 24, 1994). "Young U.S. Acts Turn Abroad To Drive Their Careers Home". Billboard. p. 53. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
23. "British album certifications – R. Kelly – 12 Play". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
24. "American album certifications – R. Kelly – 12 Play". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
25. "12 Play release history". AllMusic. Retrieved February 13, 2016.

Further reading

• Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
• Colin Larkin (2002). Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Edition 4. Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-923-0.

External links

• 12 Play at Discogs
• 12 Play at MusicBrainz (list of releases)

• 1993 debut albums
• Albums produced by Barry Hankerson
• Albums produced by R. Kelly
• Hip-hop soul albums
• Jive Records albums
• New jack swing albums
• R. Kelly albums