TP-2.com

While the “TP” in the title was intended to mark a return to the atmosphere of 1993’s breakout 12 Play, it in fact notes the start of a new chapter for this long-running showman. The amazing thing about TP-2.com is how effortless it is. It seems like the more rules Kelly broke, the more winning songs he racked up. While most R&B singers function as mouthpieces for someone else’s writing, Kelly seems fully present in his songs. It’s obvious that each of these tunes started with him singing at a piano, and that feeling of centeredness gives Kelly freedom to do things other singers couldn’t get away with. Whether it’s the conversational lyrics of “I Don’t Mean It” and “A Woman’s Threat” or the extravagant come-ons of “The Greatest Sex” and “Feelin’ on Yo Booty,” Kelly had become comfortable enough with himself and his role in the pop landscape that he could pull off songs that simultaneously celebrated and parodied the tropes of the R&B loverman. That—along with production that's simple but consistently potent—transformed Kelly from a Chicago soul singer to a national treasure.