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Wine & Dine Wednesday event poster with "The Black Out Edition" text, hosted by Karen Vaughn with music by DJ King on July 15, 2026 from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at 475 Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis.

According to http://www.eurweb.com

Several years ago, R. Kelly revealed that he has struggled for years with illiteracy, and that he would dictate the song lyrics to a person he would pay to write them down.

At the recent Midwest Music Festival in Chicago, Kelly brought up his challenges again while discussing the ups and downs of his career.

“When I was trying to make it out here, I already knew, and I was stubborn about it,” he said. “I don’t even read really and I’m not afraid to say that. My cousins and brothers used to tease me ‘you can’t even read right.

“How you think you’re going to come up?’ The only reason I graduated from grammar school is because I had a great jump shot. I went to high school and [my teacher] told me ‘you will be one of the greatest writers of all time.’ I believed. You [have to] believe it. You can’t believe [anything] if you’re hating. You can’t achieve [anything] if you’re hating.”