R. KELLY TO PEN NEW BOOK

R. Kelly is planning to publish a memoir in 2011.


Kelly's book will be written with celebrity co-author David Ritz and published by SmileyBooks, an imprint run by talk show host Tavis Smiley. Kelly promises to "tell-all" about the loss of his mother, the motivation behind his sexually-charged lyrics and his six-year legal ordeal.

"I'm writing this book as Robert, not R. Kelly," the singer said in a statement. "I'm tired of being misunderstood. I will show you the tears, fears, and sweat. I will open my heart and reveal the good in my life as well as all the drama. I want to tell it like it is."

Kelly joins such other African-American authors as Dr. Cornel West, Henrey Louis Gates, Jr. and Jeff Johnson at Smiley's publishing company.

Kelly's tenth studio album, "Untitled," was released last week and debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 114,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.