Despite travails, R. Kelly is selling

The courtroom fate of R. Kelly remains uncertain -- he still faces felony child pornography charges in Illinois and Florida -- but his stature in the marketplace remains strong. The R&B; singer is expected to claim the No. 1 spot on the U.S. pop album chart this week.

“Chocolate Factory,” Kelly’s seventh album, was released Feb. 18 and, according to retailers, should top 500,000 copies sold in its first week. That would probably push the CD past rapper 50 Cent’s hot “Get Rich or Die Tryin’,” which has topped the charts for the last two weeks.

Many observers had been skeptical in recent months about the loyalty of Kelly’s largely female fan base, especially after his collaborative album last year with Jay-Z was a major flop.

Kelly was arrested in June 2002 on Illinois pornography charges relating to home videos that allegedly show him in sexual contact with female minors, and at least three lawsuits have been filed by women who say they were exploited as underage lovers by Kelly. Kelly, who has maintained his innocence, has settled two of the suits.

-- Geoff Boucher