Apple may be working on a 'sequel' to R. Kelly's 'Trapped in the Closet'

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R. Kelly Trapped in the closet

RKellyVevo/YouTube

Apple has started to bankroll video and TV shows - so far, it's announced a handful of shows, including a version of "Carpool Karaoke," and a reality TV show called "Planet of the Apps."

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But it's got lots of new video projects in the works, Apple exec Jimmy Iovine tells Businessweek, and one will be welcome news to R. Kelly fans.

Iovine has been working on a follow up to R. Kelly's hip-hop opera "Trapped in the Closet," according to Businessweek. It's an example of the "music-related video" that Apple considers the best way for Apple Music to break into TV.

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"Trapped in the Closet" is a 33-part song cycle that is basically a soap opera: It follows certain characters following a one-night stand as the situation gets progressively crazier. R. Kelly narrates the entire story in song and every track ends in a cliffhanger.

It's also a good fit as each song has its own video, and the most recent chapters aired on IFC.

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But it could also be a risk for Apple, which has cultivated a family-friendly image and bans apps and media that "contains content that many users would find objectionable." R. Kelly's music is sexual, frequently not politically correct, and Kelly has been accused of raping underage girls as young as 15.

There are lots of other details about Apple's video ambitions in the article over at Businessweek.