Trapped in the Closet
Encyclopedia
"Trapped in the Closet" is a series of songs by American contemporary R&B
singer R. Kelly
. The song set consists of 22 chapters, which were released from 2005 to 2007. The first five chapters of the set are included on his seventh studio album TP.3 Reloaded, with the first chapter being released as the first single from the album. Written and produced by Kelly, the series tells a story of a one-night stand
that sets off a chain of events, which gradually reveals a greater web of lies, sex and deceit. Musically, all chapters of the song feature the same melodic theme with varying lyrics, relating an ongoing narrative.
"Trapped in the Closet, Chapter 1" was commercially successful in the United States, peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart.
Each chapter has its own accompanying music video, which follows the storyline of the song. All the videos follow one another in terms of continuity. Videos for chapters one to five were released, individually, in sequence, from May and June of 2005. Following a preview of the twelfth chapter at 2005 MTV Video Music Awards
, in November 2005, seven more chapters were released exclusively on DVD
, which also contained videos for the first five chapters, making a total of twelve chapters. Nearly two years later, in August 2007, ten more chapters were released to DVD. Kelly has stated the possibility of more chapters being written and released.
The series of songs, described by Kelly as a "hip hopera
", has been acclaimed by critics, and was the subject of much media coverage at the time of its release. The songs, along with their accompanying videos, earned Kelly numerous accolades. The series' popularity has led to parodies of it in other media, including being referenced in the title a controversial South Park
episode of the same name, which also featured an animated depiction of Kelly. "Weird Al" Yankovic
also recorded a parody
of the song entitled "Trapped in the Drive-Thru
".
. Kelly and Jive Records
promoted the single release by releasing each of the first five chapters of the song set to radio stations one at a time.
Following the success and popularity of the "Trapped in the Closet" song series, on August 28, 2005, R. Kelly lip-synched a "new chapter" at an appearance at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards
. Finally, in November 2005, Jive Records
released a DVD
entitled Trapped in the Closet, which aside from containing the five chapters of the song included on TP.3 Reloaded, also included seven more new chapters, bringing the song series to a total of twelve chapters. The material previewed by Kelly at the MTV Video Music Awards was revealed an early version of some parts of the twelfth chapter in the series.
Nearly two years later, in August 2007, Kelly and Jive released ten more chapters were released on another Trapped in the Closet DVD. These ten chapters were also shown on the Independent Film Channel
(IFC), and were also streamed on IFC's website. The release of the DVD brings the series to a total of 23 chapters.
Kelly has stated that more chapters would be written and released. In December 2007, all 23 chapters were released in a DVD entitled The Big Package, which also includes a "commentary remix" featuring a preview of chapter 23. No official release dates have been announced, however, for more chapters of the series.
Kelly has described the entire "Trapped in the Closet" series as a "hip hopera
", and that "it's now too long to be called a song." When asked about the writing of the song, Kelly stated: "I don't know how to explain how I wrote it. It just keeps rhyming and rhyming." He has also stated that "Trapped in the Closet" seems to have taken on "a life, mind and body of its own", and has called the series an "alien".
, Sylvester, who wakes up after a one-night stand
with a woman. As he prepares to leave, however, the woman begs him to hide in a closet, as her husband is coming into the room, explaining the origin of the song's title. This one-night stand sets off a series of events, which gradually reveals a greater string of lies, sex, and deceit. As the story unfolds, new characters and plot twist
s are introduced.
s, before eventually being compiled into one DVD entitled The Big Package. The combined length of the videos for all 22 chapters spans almost 84 minutes.
Chapter 1
The first chapter begins with Sylvester (R. Kelly
) waking up at around 7:00 in the morning in another person's bed. Sylvester realizes when he wakes up that another woman who is not his wife approaches him and kisses him. After scolding himself for committing infidelity
, he puts on the rest of his clothes and grabs his car keys and prepares to make his way home when the woman comes back, stopping him from moving, telling him her husband is coming up the stairs. She insists Sylvester hide in the closet but Sylvester insists on jumping out of a window. When the woman reminds him they are on the fifth floor, Sylvester thinks for a moment and agrees to hide in the closet. As soon after that, her husband walks in and she lies to him, which gets Sylvester to think she should win an Oscar
for her acting. They then began making love in the bed when Sylvester's cell phone goes off. Sylvester tries to put it on vibrate
but the husband starts suspecting something is up and goes to investigate. After searching through a shower curtain, under the bed and even the dresser, he slowly approaches the closet. Sylvester takes his gun
out in preparation. The chapter ends with the husband opening the closet.
Chapter 2
The second chapter starts with the husband now knowing what his wife was doing behind his back. Sylvester tries calming him down but to no avail as he begins arguing with his wife. The husband nearly attacks Sylvester but stops due to the fact Sylvester is holding a gun. When the husband's cell phone rings, he tells Sylvester that he is a pastor
, which Sylvester thinks would be reasonable to not resort to a violent outburst. When Sylvester decides to leave, the husband tells him to stay because he wants to reveal a "secret" to him and his wife. He then calls someone on his cell phone telling them to "turn the car around". When the person alarms him that he is at "the apartment", the husband calls the person up. Sylvester and the pastor's wife are both anxious as to what the husband is about to reveal. When the husband does not answer Sylvester's questions quickly enough on who he has been talking to, he threatens to shoot both him and his wife. Just as Sylvester gets to the count of four, someone knocks on the door. The husband opens the door and the person turns out to be another man.
Chapter 3
Chapter three starts with all four people in the room. A shocked and confused Sylvester demands to leave after getting this news but the wife tells him to stay. She then argues with her husband, whose name is revealed to be Rufus, over his own infidelity and they argue over whose cheating was worse. The wife berates Rufus for revealing his cheating to upset her after he had busted her with Sylvester. When Sylvester quiets them and demands more explanation, the other man, Chuck, begins explaining how their affair came about. Sylvester stops him, however, from revealing any more details. After the wife berates Rufus again, Rufus reveals her real name, which is Cathy, which shocks Sylvester, who was told her name was Mary. When Sylvester again threatens to shoot them, Rufus, Cathy and Chuck all begin yelling at each other, pushing Sylvester to shoot his gun in the air to quiet them, causing them to lie on the floor. Sylvester then calls his home on his cell phone to his home but is stunned to find another man is on the phone. He then quickly bolts out of the apartment while Cathy, Rufus and Chuck remain lying on the floor.
Chapter 4
Sylvester is seen in chapter four rushing home, angered and belligerent over the events of the previous night. As he drives home, he is pulled over by a police officer, who gives him a ticket for speeding. When he arrives home, he starts asking his wife who had answered his phone. She responds that it was her brother Twan, whom she had reminded Sylvester earlier was coming home from prison. Sylvester remembers and then apologizes to his wife before they begin engaging in sexual intercourse. In the middle of it, however, Sylvester's wife, whose name is revealed to be Gwendolyn, sees a used condom on the side of the bed, covers it up, and then jumps on top of a shocked Sylvester, who tries to get Gwendolyn to stop because he is afraid he might have a seizure
. When she demands him to keep going, Sylvester tries reminding her that his leg was beginning to cramp. When Gwendolyn finally gets off him, Sylvester flips the bed cover to find the used condom that she had tried to hide from him.
The video for chapter four has since been revised to better correlate with chapter five. The line "I said 'This is some bullshit!', as he gave me the ticket" was changed to "He flicked his cigarette, as he gave me the ticket." Also, in the pullover scene, the original actor for the officer has been changed to James' current actor.
Chapter 5
Chapter five starts with Sylvester now knowing his wife had cheated on him and he starts demanding answers. After a few more angry outbursts, Gwendolyn returns with her own knowledge of Sylvester's infidelity. He quickly turns it back around to her infidelity. When he berates her for not giving him an answer, she quickly comes up with certain names including friends of hers, named "Roxanne and Tina", and also mentions "Rufus and Chuck", which confuses Sylvester. She then mentions she and Cathy went to high school and were friends, and it was Cathy who introduced Gwendolyn to the police officer that stopped Sylvester, confirming that the police officer was her secret lover.
Chapter 6
After the previous chapter's revelation at the end, Sylvester begins laughing at the entire situation. After a second, Gwendolyn joins him in the laughter and Sylvester begins explaining the events the previous night. Meanwhile the cop who pulled Sylvester over and the man Gwendolyn admits cheating on Sylvester with, whose name is revealed to be James, turns his car back around concerned for Gwendolyn's safety. When he sees Sylvester's car parked in a crooked space with the lights still on and sees the back door busted in, he picks up his gun and goes in to investigate. When he hears Sylvester and Gwendolyn laughing, James mistakes it for abuse
. When Gwendolyn yells, "Sylvester, you're killing me", he busts in the door with Sylvester noticing the cop who pulled him over. Sylvester then pulls his gun out demanding the cop leave. After James' constant demand to freeze and Gwendolyn's pleas to Sylvester, he puts the gun down and puts his hands up. When James winks and smiles at him, an angry Sylvester rushes to James and they both wrestle with control of the gun, before thinking of it, a shot accidentally goes off.
Chapter 7
This chapter reveals it was Twan, Gwendolyn's brother who was just released from prison, was the one who was shot. After realizing who it was, Sylvester and James argue at who was at fault with the shooting, with Sylvester blaming the entire incident on the cop. Twan is presumed to be dead but in the middle of Sylvester, James and Gwendolyn arguing, Twan coughs, assuring them he is okay and that he was only non-fatally shot in the shoulder. As Twan recovers in the bathroom, Sylvester begins telling him what caused the incident when someone knocks on the door. After being hesitant with answering the door, Sylvester grabs his gun and aims it at the door, Twan joins him snatching James' gun. At the count of three, Twan opens the door and it is revealed to be the next door neighbor, Rosie, who is shown with a spatula in her hand. A relieved Sylvester and Gwendolyn invite Rosie in while James snatches his gun back from a bewildered Twan's hands and leaves.
Chapter 8
In this chapter, a tired and frustrated James drives back to his house when his wife Bridget calls him (Kelly sings all of Bridget's lines with a fake Southern accent
.) James tells a concerned Bridget that he was heading home in which Bridget happily tells him she had baked him a cherry pie. Meanwhile at Sylvester's house, Rosie, the next door neighbor, tells Sylvester, Twan and Gwendolyn that she could not stand the cop that just left their house causing Gwendolyn, Sylvester and Twan to laugh. Back at James' house, he pulls up to the garage. A panicked Bridget rushes to the door and kisses James. When James asks her why she looked jittery, Bridget excuses it as "it's that time of the month
". When Bridget tries getting him upstairs for pears, James insists on heating some leftover chicken. Bridget's nervous breakdown finally leads to James demanding a straight answer from Bridget. James then starts to wonder if Bridget had also cheated on him. Unbeknownst to him and from the looks of a nervous Bridget, it becomes clear another man is still in the house.
Note that Kelly switches from first person
(as Sylvester), to third person narrative in the middle of this chapter.
Chapter 9
James starts investigating his house for any possible intruders. When he hears a noise, he begins to search all over the kitchen while a panicked Bridget stands over by the dishes. After James checks the oven and looks behind the fridge, he notices the cherry pie with a slice cut out. When he realizes that Bridget is allergic to cherries, he turns to her and moves slowly to a scared Bridget. After demanding Bridget to move from her spot, which she eventually does, he sees the cabinet and slowly approaches it. Just as he opens it, the video suddenly stops and the narrator exits out of a closet and, breaking the fourth wall
, tells the audience that the man, hiding in the cabinet, is a midget
.
Chapter 10
In this chapter, the midget jumps out of the cabinet and fights with James. After James' constant roughing up on the midget, Bridget runs upstairs where she puts out a number from her purse. Meanwhile back downstairs, James puts the midget on the table and demands to know why was he at his house. The midget continues telling him that he was paid not to tell, which only angers James, who puts his gun out on him. When he does, the midget commits bowel movements. Back at Sylvester's house, he, Twan and Gwendolyn are playing cards when the phone rings. When Gwendolyn answers it, she hears a panicked Bridget, who tells her she found her number in James' pocket. After a minute, Gwendolyn hangs up and gives Sylvester and Twan the address to the house presumably to stop the fight. Back at James' house, James and the midget continue fighting until Bridget comes back to the kitchen with a double barrelled shotgun. When James points the gun to Bridget, the midget takes his inhaler out. A few seconds later, Sylvester and Twan bust open the door and Sylvester points his gun at James. Sylvester and Twan notice a peculiar odor in the house. Due to Sylvester and Twan's entrance, the midget faints on the table.
Chapter 11
In this chapter, the midget wakes up peculiar to seeing three guns and tries to get out of the situation. Sylvester then begs Bridget and James to put their guns down, which they adamantly refuse. Bridget then tells Sylvester she will drop the gun if James does not hurt the midget, whose name is revealed as "Big Man", a stripper at a club called Dixie's. When Sylvester asks why he was named that, the midget points down to his pants and tell him he is "blessed". After seeing Sylvester and Big Man communicating, James shuts them up calling them "Chuck and Rufus", which confuses Sylvester, who demands to know how James knew of them, though James acts bewildered to Sylvester's question. Just as James looks as if he was going to answer, Bridget starts getting sick. It is then revealed that Bridget is three-months pregnant, presumably with James' baby. After James' constant prompts to Sylvester, Twan and Big Man with his gun to leave, Bridget stops him and admits paying Big Man and even admitted that she knew that James had been cheating on her with Gwendolyn saying that she had followed him around. When James demands to know what Bridget is really telling him, Bridget says that Big Man is her baby's father, which negates her previous excuse from chapter 9 as being "that time of the month". The midget again faints at the news.
Chapter 12
Back at Cathy's house, she, Rufus and Chuck get up from the floor. After Cathy closes the door, she and Rufus argue about the reasons why Sylvester almost shot at them from the previous chapters, with Cathy angered about Rufus "creeping" around with Chuck, who is the deacon of Rufus' church, telling him "ain't no telling what I've got", referring to sexually transmitted disease
s. Chuck gets angry at this and threatens Cathy with a knife, which prompts Cathy to force him to do it. Rufus then calms them down and tries to resolve the matter but neither Cathy or Chuck listen, as they continue arguing, even as the phone rings. When it rings a second time, Cathy answers it and it is Gwendolyn and she begins telling Cathy about the drama that had went on. When Gwendolyn mentions that she saw Sylvester in Paje's club with "some crusty wig-wearing ass ho", Cathy realizes the man she had slept with that night was Sylvester. When Cathy tries telling her who the "ho" was, Gwendolyn stops her and tells her more about James and his situation. When an angry Rufus demands Cathy to finish their conversation, Cathy shuts Gwendolyn up and tells her she was the "ho" that had been with Sylvester.
Chapter 13
The chapter initially starts with Sylvester and Twan in Sylvester's car though it is not clear at first where they are going. When Sylvester tells Twan to be on his best behavior and reminds Twan about how he got sent to jail, Twan says it "was because of Roxanne and that bitch Tina", which Sylvester remembers his wife mentioning their names on chapter five. The scene soon cuts to Rosie the nosy neighbor and her husband Randolph (played by R. Kelly), who argue over Rosie spying on other neighbors. The argument ends when the scene cuts back to Sylvester explaining to Twan that he has to collect money from someone, he tells Twan to leave the car in drive and be on the lookout and enters a restaurant. An hour goes by with no sign of Sylvester.
Chapter 14
In chapter fourteen, it is revealed that apparently Sylvester and Cathy, who shows up in a blond wig and black dress, had made a deal for Sylvester to get caught by her pastor husband Rufus but the deal had apparently backfired, not only by Cathy's realization that Sylvester and her best friend Gwendolyn were married but also due to Cathy not wanting to end her marriage to Rufus, with Cathy later admitting she had changed her mind on the deal. When Sylvester threatens to leave, Cathy tries to explain the reasons why. A waitress comes by and offers them drinks. Sylvester looks at the waitress thinking to himself that she looked familiar. Meanwhile outside at Sylvester's car, Twan gets a call from a friend (only shown by a close up of his mouth) about Tina, telling him Tina had stopped prostituting
and was working at a "legit" place. He later tells Twan that Tina was working at the same restaurant where Sylvester is at with Cathy. Back at the restaurant, Sylvester notices the waitress but can't think from where, until he sees her name tag which says "Tina". Sylvester then says he wants to talk to her but she gets scared and calls for her friend/co-worker Roxanne, who runs out with a frying pan. After Tina breaks a beer bottle and makes karate-styled moves saying to Sylvester that she and Roxanne take Tae Bo
, Cathy and the rest of the patrons leave quickly, leaving Sylvester alone with Tina and Roxanne. Just as Tina and Roxanne are about to attack, Twan comes busting through the door threatening them.
Chapter 15
With Twan, Sylvester, Tina and Roxanne in the now-empty restaurant, Twan seeks revenge on Tina and Roxanne on his arrest three years ago. Sylvester tries calming Twan down reminding him he's on house arrest
and that a violent outburst would lead to a more serious time in prison. After convincing Twan to let him talk to them, Sylvester approaches the two ladies and ask them what had happened on the day of his arrest. Tina and Roxanne explain that they were on a "simple operation" describing a "trip" to Atlanta
. Roxanne tells Sylvester that a high Twan was swerving on the road and cutting up on the both of them, even turning his music loud playing "Mary Jane" and screaming "I'm Rick James, bitch!" Tina explains that as soon as that happened, they heard not only police squad cars but also a helicopter. Twan's car breaks down and all three are eventually arrested. In the interrogation room, the police tell the women that Twan blamed the drug deal on them in order to save his own skin. It is then when Roxanne tells Twan she turned him in. Roxanne says Tina protected him because Tina was pregnant with Twan's baby at the time.
Indie folk
musician Will Oldham
makes a cameo in this chapter as one of the police officers in the interrogation.
Chapter 16
Sylvester, stunned at first at the news of Tina having Twan's child, congratulates Twan on the news but Twan is not convinced, accusing Tina of lying on him, which causes Tina's eye to twitch, which had started when Sylvester had first approached her near the end of chapter 14. When Sylvester asks Roxanne about it, Roxanne explains a pimp
had hit Tina in the eye a year ago and that she's had bad nerves ever since. Twan then pulls Sylvester to the side and begins wondering if he is really the father of Tina's child, Sylvester convinces him that a child would calm him down. When Twan tells Tina that he wants to make this work, Roxanne kisses Tina and reveals they are lovers.
In the commentary remix on the Trapped in the Closet DVD, Kelly tells the audience that in the upcoming chapters he will probably give Tina about three chapters to explain her nervous eye twitch.
Chapter 17
Stunned at the news of Roxanne and Tina being lovers, a frustrated Sylvester points his gun at the both of them, but soon stops because of his tolerance to lesbian
ism, while Twan kept egging him to shoot them. Sylvester tries to get Twan to leave the restaurant. It's only after Twan threatens Tina and Roxanne that he will buy a gun and come back for them later that Sylvester finally convinces Twan to leave.
Chapter 18
Back at the car as they drive away, Twan is still angry over seeing Roxanne and Tina together, despite Sylvester's efforts to calm him down. Around this time, Sylvester gets a phone call from Gwendolyn, who tells him that his parents, O'Dale and Myrna, got into it and Myrna had O'Dale put in jail. The scene then shifts to Rufus' church where he is leading the worship song, "Jesus Will Work It Out", with Reverend Mosley James Evans and the Peace Within Choir. When the song reaches a climax, Rufus gets a phone call and excuses himself to his office. It's Chuck, who's crying and upset over not seeing Rufus since the incident in the earlier chapters. Rufus and Chuck argue when Cathy walks in Rufus' office. When Cathy asks Rufus who was on the phone, Chuck, who can be heard accidentally on speaker phone, cries out for Rufus, which angers Cathy and the two argue before Rufus sends Cathy out to deal with the situation. Rufus then tries to let Chuck come see him so they can talk but Chuck refuses. Rufus then tells Chuck that he wants to stay married because he loves his wife & is a Pastor as the reason he doesn't wanna see Chuck anymore, which angers Chuck, who threatens to reveal their relationship. When Rufus again tries to get Chuck to come see him, Chuck reveals he is recovering at a hospital.
Chapter 19
Reverend Mosley James Evans and the Peace Within Choir attempt to persuade Pimp Lucious, a pimp
with a severe stuttering problem, to stop pimping and to turn his life around. As the choir sings "you can do it Pimp Lucious," Lucious pretends to accept the offer and leaves the church. However, he then tells his pimpin' partner, Bishop Craig, that he is never going to "s-s-s-s-s-stop p-p-p-pimpin," because "p-p-p-pimpin's for life." Then he tells Bishop Craig "now let's get this mmm-mmmmm money."
Chapter 20
This chapter shows Rosie the Nosy Neighbor's house where Rosie is seen in her chair reading the Bible
when her husband Randolph comes in shouting, "he's got the package!" to Rosie. Unwilling to listen to first, when Randolph tells her he has news on the pastor (Rufus), she demands what was going on with him. After a few bickers, Randolph tells Rosie the story: while working as a janitor for the church, Randolph hears Rufus coming into the office. Randolph hid in the closet and unintentionally overheard the conversation seen in chapter eighteen among Chuck, Rufus and Cathy. After relaying the story, Rosie asks Randolph why he had said the pastor had "the package", Randolph says that Chuck told him he was at the hospital. Rosie immediately decides to inform the masses, despite Randolph's protests. The chapter ends with Randolph sitting on the couch, falling asleep.
Chapter 21
Sylvester and Twan go to visit an apparent mobster named Joey. Sylvester informs Joey of some "job" that could get them a lot of money. While there, Joey accuses Twan of being a cop, as well as calling him "LL Fool J
," deeply offending Twan. Sylvester, trying to defuse the situation, asks Twan to wait outside the office while he and Joey discuss business. As Twan leaves the room, he remarks, "I'll be listening from the outside." Joey replies, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Mama said knock you out
, fuck outta here." While waiting outside, Twan has a nightmare of Sylvester and him in the same situation, being pointed at with guns. In the end, Sylvester wakes Twan up, then Joey and Sylvester say their goodbyes, and Joey asks Sylvester to tell Gwendolyn he says hello, as their deal is sealed.
Chapter 22
The scene opens to O'Dale and Myrna's voicemail (Sylvester's parents) and eventually fades into the middle of the voicemail box where the narrator (Kelly) says, "and now the rumor." Throughout a series of phone conversations among all of the original characters from Chapters 1-12 and those introduced in Chapter 13-22, rumors of "The Package" circulate. Because Chuck has it, it has possibly been passed to Rufus, to his wife Cathy, to Sylvester, and to Gwendolyn. In addition, Bridget realizes that James knows both Chuck and Rufus, though he tried to hide it from her earlier, suggesting he may be on the "down-low" with Chuck as well. Gwendolyn also cheated on Sylvester with James however she used a condom as revealed in Chapter 4. This would put Bridget, Big Man, and James at serious risk. Lastly, Pimp Lucious gets a similar concerned call from an unidentified woman (who may have gotten "The Package" from Big Man, and subsequently passed it to Pimp Lucious). All in all, Chuck, Rufus, Cathy, Sylvester, Gwendolyn, James, Bridget, Big Man, and Pimp Lucious all could have been infected with the Package. Had Pimp Lucious been infected with "the package" (slang for HIV
), he could have passed it to any or all of the hookers he pimps.
Additionally, although there is no confirmation of this, because he is the only pimp the story has focused on thus far, the watcher might assume that Lucious was the pimp who gave Tina her nervous twitch when she was working for him. Were this the case, Tina, Roxanne, Twan, and her baby could all be at risk.
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
. The song set consists of 22 chapters, which were released from 2005 to 2007. The first five chapters of the set are included on his seventh studio album TP.3 Reloaded, with the first chapter being released as the first single from the album. Written and produced by Kelly, the series tells a story of a one-night stand
One-night stand
Originally, a one-night stand was a single theatre performance, usually by a guest performer on tour, as opposed to an ongoing engagement. Today, however, the term is more commonly defined as a single sexual encounter, in which neither participant has any intention or expectation of a relationship...
that sets off a chain of events, which gradually reveals a greater web of lies, sex and deceit. Musically, all chapters of the song feature the same melodic theme with varying lyrics, relating an ongoing narrative.
"Trapped in the Closet, Chapter 1" was commercially successful in the United States, peaking at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart.
Each chapter has its own accompanying music video, which follows the storyline of the song. All the videos follow one another in terms of continuity. Videos for chapters one to five were released, individually, in sequence, from May and June of 2005. Following a preview of the twelfth chapter at 2005 MTV Video Music Awards
2005 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2005, honoring the best music videos from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005. The show was hosted by Diddy at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
, in November 2005, seven more chapters were released exclusively on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, which also contained videos for the first five chapters, making a total of twelve chapters. Nearly two years later, in August 2007, ten more chapters were released to DVD. Kelly has stated the possibility of more chapters being written and released.
The series of songs, described by Kelly as a "hip hopera
Rap opera
A rap opera or hip hopera is a series of hip hop songs in the form of an opera, inspired by the concept of rock opera.Like its predecessor, rap opera tells a story through consecutive pieces of music involving the same character or characters. Rap opera may be a purely auditory experience, or it...
", has been acclaimed by critics, and was the subject of much media coverage at the time of its release. The songs, along with their accompanying videos, earned Kelly numerous accolades. The series' popularity has led to parodies of it in other media, including being referenced in the title a controversial South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
episode of the same name, which also featured an animated depiction of Kelly. "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
also recorded a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the song entitled "Trapped in the Drive-Thru
Trapped in the Drive-Thru
"Trapped in the Drive-Thru" is a song from "Weird Al" Yankovic's twelfth studio album Straight Outta Lynwood, which was released on September 26, 2006. This song is a parody of "Trapped in the Closet" by R. Kelly...
".
Background
"Trapped in the Closet" originally appeared on Kelly's album TP.3 Reloaded, divided into five "chapters", which appear as the final five tracks on the album. The first five chapters of "Trapped in the Closet" were recorded by Andy Gallas during the 2004-2005 recording sessions for TP.3 Reloaded. R. Kelly wrote and produced all five chapters. The first of these five chapters was released as the lead single from the album in 2005, by Jive RecordsJive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
. Kelly and Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
promoted the single release by releasing each of the first five chapters of the song set to radio stations one at a time.
Following the success and popularity of the "Trapped in the Closet" song series, on August 28, 2005, R. Kelly lip-synched a "new chapter" at an appearance at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards
2005 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2005, honoring the best music videos from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005. The show was hosted by Diddy at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
. Finally, in November 2005, Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
released a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
entitled Trapped in the Closet, which aside from containing the five chapters of the song included on TP.3 Reloaded, also included seven more new chapters, bringing the song series to a total of twelve chapters. The material previewed by Kelly at the MTV Video Music Awards was revealed an early version of some parts of the twelfth chapter in the series.
Nearly two years later, in August 2007, Kelly and Jive released ten more chapters were released on another Trapped in the Closet DVD. These ten chapters were also shown on the Independent Film Channel
Independent Film Channel
The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
(IFC), and were also streamed on IFC's website. The release of the DVD brings the series to a total of 23 chapters.
Kelly has stated that more chapters would be written and released. In December 2007, all 23 chapters were released in a DVD entitled The Big Package, which also includes a "commentary remix" featuring a preview of chapter 23. No official release dates have been announced, however, for more chapters of the series.
Kelly has described the entire "Trapped in the Closet" series as a "hip hopera
Rap opera
A rap opera or hip hopera is a series of hip hop songs in the form of an opera, inspired by the concept of rock opera.Like its predecessor, rap opera tells a story through consecutive pieces of music involving the same character or characters. Rap opera may be a purely auditory experience, or it...
", and that "it's now too long to be called a song." When asked about the writing of the song, Kelly stated: "I don't know how to explain how I wrote it. It just keeps rhyming and rhyming." He has also stated that "Trapped in the Closet" seems to have taken on "a life, mind and body of its own", and has called the series an "alien".
Synopsis
The song generally follows a storyline which continues through all the chapters. Kelly plays the role of the song's protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Sylvester, who wakes up after a one-night stand
One-night stand
Originally, a one-night stand was a single theatre performance, usually by a guest performer on tour, as opposed to an ongoing engagement. Today, however, the term is more commonly defined as a single sexual encounter, in which neither participant has any intention or expectation of a relationship...
with a woman. As he prepares to leave, however, the woman begs him to hide in a closet, as her husband is coming into the room, explaining the origin of the song's title. This one-night stand sets off a series of events, which gradually reveals a greater string of lies, sex, and deceit. As the story unfolds, new characters and plot twist
Plot twist
A plot twist is a change in the expected direction or outcome of the plot of a film, television series, video game, novel, comic or other fictional work. It is a common practice in narration used to keep the interest of an audience, usually surprising them with a revelation...
s are introduced.
Video synopsis
The videos for all of the chapters in the "Trapped in the Closet" series basically follow the same storyline as the song. The videos were directed by R. Kelly, Jim Swaffield and Victor Mignatti, and produced by Kelly, Ann Carli and Bryan-Michael Cox. The videos were released on various DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, before eventually being compiled into one DVD entitled The Big Package. The combined length of the videos for all 22 chapters spans almost 84 minutes.
Chapter 1
The first chapter begins with Sylvester (R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
) waking up at around 7:00 in the morning in another person's bed. Sylvester realizes when he wakes up that another woman who is not his wife approaches him and kisses him. After scolding himself for committing infidelity
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
, he puts on the rest of his clothes and grabs his car keys and prepares to make his way home when the woman comes back, stopping him from moving, telling him her husband is coming up the stairs. She insists Sylvester hide in the closet but Sylvester insists on jumping out of a window. When the woman reminds him they are on the fifth floor, Sylvester thinks for a moment and agrees to hide in the closet. As soon after that, her husband walks in and she lies to him, which gets Sylvester to think she should win an Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for her acting. They then began making love in the bed when Sylvester's cell phone goes off. Sylvester tries to put it on vibrate
Vibrating alert
A vibrating alert is a feature of communications devices to notify the user of an incoming connection. It is particularly common on mobile phones and pagers and usually supplements the ring tone....
but the husband starts suspecting something is up and goes to investigate. After searching through a shower curtain, under the bed and even the dresser, he slowly approaches the closet. Sylvester takes his gun
Beretta
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is an Italian firearms manufacturer. Their firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and military purposes. It is also known for manufacturing shooting clothes and accessories. Beretta is the oldest active firearms manufacturer in the...
out in preparation. The chapter ends with the husband opening the closet.
- Ending "cliffhangerCliffhangerA cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
" line: "Now he's at the closet, now he's opening the closet....."
Chapter 2
The second chapter starts with the husband now knowing what his wife was doing behind his back. Sylvester tries calming him down but to no avail as he begins arguing with his wife. The husband nearly attacks Sylvester but stops due to the fact Sylvester is holding a gun. When the husband's cell phone rings, he tells Sylvester that he is a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, which Sylvester thinks would be reasonable to not resort to a violent outburst. When Sylvester decides to leave, the husband tells him to stay because he wants to reveal a "secret" to him and his wife. He then calls someone on his cell phone telling them to "turn the car around". When the person alarms him that he is at "the apartment", the husband calls the person up. Sylvester and the pastor's wife are both anxious as to what the husband is about to reveal. When the husband does not answer Sylvester's questions quickly enough on who he has been talking to, he threatens to shoot both him and his wife. Just as Sylvester gets to the count of four, someone knocks on the door. The husband opens the door and the person turns out to be another man.
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "He opens the door, I can't believe it's a man....."
Chapter 3
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "Call up my home, and a man picks up the phone...."
Chapter 4
Sylvester is seen in chapter four rushing home, angered and belligerent over the events of the previous night. As he drives home, he is pulled over by a police officer, who gives him a ticket for speeding. When he arrives home, he starts asking his wife who had answered his phone. She responds that it was her brother Twan, whom she had reminded Sylvester earlier was coming home from prison. Sylvester remembers and then apologizes to his wife before they begin engaging in sexual intercourse. In the middle of it, however, Sylvester's wife, whose name is revealed to be Gwendolyn, sees a used condom on the side of the bed, covers it up, and then jumps on top of a shocked Sylvester, who tries to get Gwendolyn to stop because he is afraid he might have a seizure
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
. When she demands him to keep going, Sylvester tries reminding her that his leg was beginning to cramp. When Gwendolyn finally gets off him, Sylvester flips the bed cover to find the used condom that she had tried to hide from him.
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "I pull back the cover, oh my god, a rubber!"
The video for chapter four has since been revised to better correlate with chapter five. The line "I said 'This is some bullshit!', as he gave me the ticket" was changed to "He flicked his cigarette, as he gave me the ticket." Also, in the pullover scene, the original actor for the officer has been changed to James' current actor.
Chapter 5
Chapter five starts with Sylvester now knowing his wife had cheated on him and he starts demanding answers. After a few more angry outbursts, Gwendolyn returns with her own knowledge of Sylvester's infidelity. He quickly turns it back around to her infidelity. When he berates her for not giving him an answer, she quickly comes up with certain names including friends of hers, named "Roxanne and Tina", and also mentions "Rufus and Chuck", which confuses Sylvester. She then mentions she and Cathy went to high school and were friends, and it was Cathy who introduced Gwendolyn to the police officer that stopped Sylvester, confirming that the police officer was her secret lover.
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "She introduced me to the policeman that stopped you."
Chapter 6
After the previous chapter's revelation at the end, Sylvester begins laughing at the entire situation. After a second, Gwendolyn joins him in the laughter and Sylvester begins explaining the events the previous night. Meanwhile the cop who pulled Sylvester over and the man Gwendolyn admits cheating on Sylvester with, whose name is revealed to be James, turns his car back around concerned for Gwendolyn's safety. When he sees Sylvester's car parked in a crooked space with the lights still on and sees the back door busted in, he picks up his gun and goes in to investigate. When he hears Sylvester and Gwendolyn laughing, James mistakes it for abuse
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. When Gwendolyn yells, "Sylvester, you're killing me", he busts in the door with Sylvester noticing the cop who pulled him over. Sylvester then pulls his gun out demanding the cop leave. After James' constant demand to freeze and Gwendolyn's pleas to Sylvester, he puts the gun down and puts his hands up. When James winks and smiles at him, an angry Sylvester rushes to James and they both wrestle with control of the gun, before thinking of it, a shot accidentally goes off.
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "Goin' all around the room, both hands on the gun, then all of a sudden, pow."
Chapter 7
This chapter reveals it was Twan, Gwendolyn's brother who was just released from prison, was the one who was shot. After realizing who it was, Sylvester and James argue at who was at fault with the shooting, with Sylvester blaming the entire incident on the cop. Twan is presumed to be dead but in the middle of Sylvester, James and Gwendolyn arguing, Twan coughs, assuring them he is okay and that he was only non-fatally shot in the shoulder. As Twan recovers in the bathroom, Sylvester begins telling him what caused the incident when someone knocks on the door. After being hesitant with answering the door, Sylvester grabs his gun and aims it at the door, Twan joins him snatching James' gun. At the count of three, Twan opens the door and it is revealed to be the next door neighbor, Rosie, who is shown with a spatula in her hand. A relieved Sylvester and Gwendolyn invite Rosie in while James snatches his gun back from a bewildered Twan's hands and leaves.
- Ending "cliffhanger-outro" line: "...Wit a spatulaSpatulaThe term spatula is used to refer to various small implements with a broad, flat, flexible blade used to mix, spread and lift materials including foods, drugs, plaster and paints...
in her hand....like that's gon' do something against them guns........it's Rosie the nosy....neighbor..."
Chapter 8
In this chapter, a tired and frustrated James drives back to his house when his wife Bridget calls him (Kelly sings all of Bridget's lines with a fake Southern accent
Southern American English
Southern American English is a group of dialects of the English language spoken throughout the Southern region of the United States, from Southern and Eastern Maryland, West Virginia and Kentucky to the Gulf Coast, and from the Atlantic coast to most of Texas and Oklahoma.The Southern dialects make...
.) James tells a concerned Bridget that he was heading home in which Bridget happily tells him she had baked him a cherry pie. Meanwhile at Sylvester's house, Rosie, the next door neighbor, tells Sylvester, Twan and Gwendolyn that she could not stand the cop that just left their house causing Gwendolyn, Sylvester and Twan to laugh. Back at James' house, he pulls up to the garage. A panicked Bridget rushes to the door and kisses James. When James asks her why she looked jittery, Bridget excuses it as "it's that time of the month
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is the scientific term for the physiological changes that can occur in fertile women for the purpose of sexual reproduction. This article focuses on the human menstrual cycle....
". When Bridget tries getting him upstairs for pears, James insists on heating some leftover chicken. Bridget's nervous breakdown finally leads to James demanding a straight answer from Bridget. James then starts to wonder if Bridget had also cheated on him. Unbeknownst to him and from the looks of a nervous Bridget, it becomes clear another man is still in the house.
Note that Kelly switches from first person
First-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
(as Sylvester), to third person narrative in the middle of this chapter.
Chapter 9
James starts investigating his house for any possible intruders. When he hears a noise, he begins to search all over the kitchen while a panicked Bridget stands over by the dishes. After James checks the oven and looks behind the fridge, he notices the cherry pie with a slice cut out. When he realizes that Bridget is allergic to cherries, he turns to her and moves slowly to a scared Bridget. After demanding Bridget to move from her spot, which she eventually does, he sees the cabinet and slowly approaches it. Just as he opens it, the video suddenly stops and the narrator exits out of a closet and, breaking the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, tells the audience that the man, hiding in the cabinet, is a midget
Midget
A midget is a short person with relatively average bodily proportions in comparison with other human beings. The term is often improperly used to describe a person with the medical condition dwarfism. The two terms are often used synonymously because both terms originate as words defining small...
.
- Ending "un-cliffhanger" line: "Now pause the movie cause what I'm about to say to y'all is so damn twisted, not only is there a man in his cabinet, but the man is a midget! Midget! Midget! Midget!"
Chapter 10
In this chapter, the midget jumps out of the cabinet and fights with James. After James' constant roughing up on the midget, Bridget runs upstairs where she puts out a number from her purse. Meanwhile back downstairs, James puts the midget on the table and demands to know why was he at his house. The midget continues telling him that he was paid not to tell, which only angers James, who puts his gun out on him. When he does, the midget commits bowel movements. Back at Sylvester's house, he, Twan and Gwendolyn are playing cards when the phone rings. When Gwendolyn answers it, she hears a panicked Bridget, who tells her she found her number in James' pocket. After a minute, Gwendolyn hangs up and gives Sylvester and Twan the address to the house presumably to stop the fight. Back at James' house, James and the midget continue fighting until Bridget comes back to the kitchen with a double barrelled shotgun. When James points the gun to Bridget, the midget takes his inhaler out. A few seconds later, Sylvester and Twan bust open the door and Sylvester points his gun at James. Sylvester and Twan notice a peculiar odor in the house. Due to Sylvester and Twan's entrance, the midget faints on the table.
- Ending "cliffhanger-outro" line: "Ohhh...while Twan and Sylvester are sniffin' around, tryin' to figure out, 'What's that smell?' As they turn and look at each other like, 'What the hell?'..."
Chapter 11
In this chapter, the midget wakes up peculiar to seeing three guns and tries to get out of the situation. Sylvester then begs Bridget and James to put their guns down, which they adamantly refuse. Bridget then tells Sylvester she will drop the gun if James does not hurt the midget, whose name is revealed as "Big Man", a stripper at a club called Dixie's. When Sylvester asks why he was named that, the midget points down to his pants and tell him he is "blessed". After seeing Sylvester and Big Man communicating, James shuts them up calling them "Chuck and Rufus", which confuses Sylvester, who demands to know how James knew of them, though James acts bewildered to Sylvester's question. Just as James looks as if he was going to answer, Bridget starts getting sick. It is then revealed that Bridget is three-months pregnant, presumably with James' baby. After James' constant prompts to Sylvester, Twan and Big Man with his gun to leave, Bridget stops him and admits paying Big Man and even admitted that she knew that James had been cheating on her with Gwendolyn saying that she had followed him around. When James demands to know what Bridget is really telling him, Bridget says that Big Man is her baby's father, which negates her previous excuse from chapter 9 as being "that time of the month". The midget again faints at the news.
- Ending "cliffhanger-outro" line: "...The midget faints again...While Twan and Sylvester is trippin'...The midget's the baby's daddy; woo."
Chapter 12
Back at Cathy's house, she, Rufus and Chuck get up from the floor. After Cathy closes the door, she and Rufus argue about the reasons why Sylvester almost shot at them from the previous chapters, with Cathy angered about Rufus "creeping" around with Chuck, who is the deacon of Rufus' church, telling him "ain't no telling what I've got", referring to sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease
Sexually transmitted disease , also known as a sexually transmitted infection or venereal disease , is an illness that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of human sexual behavior, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex...
s. Chuck gets angry at this and threatens Cathy with a knife, which prompts Cathy to force him to do it. Rufus then calms them down and tries to resolve the matter but neither Cathy or Chuck listen, as they continue arguing, even as the phone rings. When it rings a second time, Cathy answers it and it is Gwendolyn and she begins telling Cathy about the drama that had went on. When Gwendolyn mentions that she saw Sylvester in Paje's club with "some crusty wig-wearing ass ho", Cathy realizes the man she had slept with that night was Sylvester. When Cathy tries telling her who the "ho" was, Gwendolyn stops her and tells her more about James and his situation. When an angry Rufus demands Cathy to finish their conversation, Cathy shuts Gwendolyn up and tells her she was the "ho" that had been with Sylvester.
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "I'm sorry, girl, but that ho was me..."
Chapter 13
The chapter initially starts with Sylvester and Twan in Sylvester's car though it is not clear at first where they are going. When Sylvester tells Twan to be on his best behavior and reminds Twan about how he got sent to jail, Twan says it "was because of Roxanne and that bitch Tina", which Sylvester remembers his wife mentioning their names on chapter five. The scene soon cuts to Rosie the nosy neighbor and her husband Randolph (played by R. Kelly), who argue over Rosie spying on other neighbors. The argument ends when the scene cuts back to Sylvester explaining to Twan that he has to collect money from someone, he tells Twan to leave the car in drive and be on the lookout and enters a restaurant. An hour goes by with no sign of Sylvester.
- Ending line: "Time goes by, it's now one hour later..."
Chapter 14
In chapter fourteen, it is revealed that apparently Sylvester and Cathy, who shows up in a blond wig and black dress, had made a deal for Sylvester to get caught by her pastor husband Rufus but the deal had apparently backfired, not only by Cathy's realization that Sylvester and her best friend Gwendolyn were married but also due to Cathy not wanting to end her marriage to Rufus, with Cathy later admitting she had changed her mind on the deal. When Sylvester threatens to leave, Cathy tries to explain the reasons why. A waitress comes by and offers them drinks. Sylvester looks at the waitress thinking to himself that she looked familiar. Meanwhile outside at Sylvester's car, Twan gets a call from a friend (only shown by a close up of his mouth) about Tina, telling him Tina had stopped prostituting
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
and was working at a "legit" place. He later tells Twan that Tina was working at the same restaurant where Sylvester is at with Cathy. Back at the restaurant, Sylvester notices the waitress but can't think from where, until he sees her name tag which says "Tina". Sylvester then says he wants to talk to her but she gets scared and calls for her friend/co-worker Roxanne, who runs out with a frying pan. After Tina breaks a beer bottle and makes karate-styled moves saying to Sylvester that she and Roxanne take Tae Bo
Tae Bo
Tae Bo is an aerobic exercise routine that became popular in the 1990s. It was developed by taekwondo practitioner Billy Blanks and was one of the first "cardio-boxing" programs to enjoy commercial success. Such programs use the motions of martial arts at a rapid pace designed to promote fitness...
, Cathy and the rest of the patrons leave quickly, leaving Sylvester alone with Tina and Roxanne. Just as Tina and Roxanne are about to attack, Twan comes busting through the door threatening them.
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "I will kill both of y'all knucklehead asses..."
Chapter 15
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
and that a violent outburst would lead to a more serious time in prison. After convincing Twan to let him talk to them, Sylvester approaches the two ladies and ask them what had happened on the day of his arrest. Tina and Roxanne explain that they were on a "simple operation" describing a "trip" to Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Roxanne tells Sylvester that a high Twan was swerving on the road and cutting up on the both of them, even turning his music loud playing "Mary Jane" and screaming "I'm Rick James, bitch!" Tina explains that as soon as that happened, they heard not only police squad cars but also a helicopter. Twan's car breaks down and all three are eventually arrested. In the interrogation room, the police tell the women that Twan blamed the drug deal on them in order to save his own skin. It is then when Roxanne tells Twan she turned him in. Roxanne says Tina protected him because Tina was pregnant with Twan's baby at the time.
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "Because at the time I was pregnant by you, T'
Indie folk
Indie folk
Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s from singer/songwriters in the indie rock community showing heavy influences from folk music scenes of the 50s, 60s and early 70s, country music, and indie rock. A few early artists included Lou Barlow, Beck, Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith...
musician Will Oldham
Will Oldham
Will Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
makes a cameo in this chapter as one of the police officers in the interrogation.
Chapter 16
Sylvester, stunned at first at the news of Tina having Twan's child, congratulates Twan on the news but Twan is not convinced, accusing Tina of lying on him, which causes Tina's eye to twitch, which had started when Sylvester had first approached her near the end of chapter 14. When Sylvester asks Roxanne about it, Roxanne explains a pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
had hit Tina in the eye a year ago and that she's had bad nerves ever since. Twan then pulls Sylvester to the side and begins wondering if he is really the father of Tina's child, Sylvester convinces him that a child would calm him down. When Twan tells Tina that he wants to make this work, Roxanne kisses Tina and reveals they are lovers.
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "I'm fucking her now....."
In the commentary remix on the Trapped in the Closet DVD, Kelly tells the audience that in the upcoming chapters he will probably give Tina about three chapters to explain her nervous eye twitch.
Chapter 17
Stunned at the news of Roxanne and Tina being lovers, a frustrated Sylvester points his gun at the both of them, but soon stops because of his tolerance to lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
ism, while Twan kept egging him to shoot them. Sylvester tries to get Twan to leave the restaurant. It's only after Twan threatens Tina and Roxanne that he will buy a gun and come back for them later that Sylvester finally convinces Twan to leave.
- Ending line: "Give me my motherfuckin' coat!"
Chapter 18
Back at the car as they drive away, Twan is still angry over seeing Roxanne and Tina together, despite Sylvester's efforts to calm him down. Around this time, Sylvester gets a phone call from Gwendolyn, who tells him that his parents, O'Dale and Myrna, got into it and Myrna had O'Dale put in jail. The scene then shifts to Rufus' church where he is leading the worship song, "Jesus Will Work It Out", with Reverend Mosley James Evans and the Peace Within Choir. When the song reaches a climax, Rufus gets a phone call and excuses himself to his office. It's Chuck, who's crying and upset over not seeing Rufus since the incident in the earlier chapters. Rufus and Chuck argue when Cathy walks in Rufus' office. When Cathy asks Rufus who was on the phone, Chuck, who can be heard accidentally on speaker phone, cries out for Rufus, which angers Cathy and the two argue before Rufus sends Cathy out to deal with the situation. Rufus then tries to let Chuck come see him so they can talk but Chuck refuses. Rufus then tells Chuck that he wants to stay married because he loves his wife & is a Pastor as the reason he doesn't wanna see Chuck anymore, which angers Chuck, who threatens to reveal their relationship. When Rufus again tries to get Chuck to come see him, Chuck reveals he is recovering at a hospital.
- Ending "cliffhanger" line: "Because I'm in the hospital..."
Chapter 19
Reverend Mosley James Evans and the Peace Within Choir attempt to persuade Pimp Lucious, a pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
with a severe stuttering problem, to stop pimping and to turn his life around. As the choir sings "you can do it Pimp Lucious," Lucious pretends to accept the offer and leaves the church. However, he then tells his pimpin' partner, Bishop Craig, that he is never going to "s-s-s-s-s-stop p-p-p-pimpin," because "p-p-p-pimpin's for life." Then he tells Bishop Craig "now let's get this mmm-mmmmm money."
- Ending scene: Pimp Lucious points to the choir and says "CHUCH! chuch!" He becomes embarrassed and overwhelmed by being on the altar, looks around, and accidentally blurts out "SHIT!" He then says "oops," leaves the church with Bishop Craig and his "escortsStreet prostitutionStreet prostitution is a form of prostitution in which a sex worker solicits customers from a public place, most commonly a street, while waiting at street corners or walking alongside a street, but also other public places such as parks, beaches, etc. The street prostitute is often dressed in a...
".
Chapter 20
This chapter shows Rosie the Nosy Neighbor's house where Rosie is seen in her chair reading the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
when her husband Randolph comes in shouting, "he's got the package!" to Rosie. Unwilling to listen to first, when Randolph tells her he has news on the pastor (Rufus), she demands what was going on with him. After a few bickers, Randolph tells Rosie the story: while working as a janitor for the church, Randolph hears Rufus coming into the office. Randolph hid in the closet and unintentionally overheard the conversation seen in chapter eighteen among Chuck, Rufus and Cathy. After relaying the story, Rosie asks Randolph why he had said the pastor had "the package", Randolph says that Chuck told him he was at the hospital. Rosie immediately decides to inform the masses, despite Randolph's protests. The chapter ends with Randolph sitting on the couch, falling asleep.
- Ending line: "Don't go tellin' ev'rybody 'round town, Rosie / With your big-mouthed ass!"
- "The Package" is implied to be HIV/AIDS because of the slang term, "the whole package", defined as prison slang for the disease. Given the large-scale interconnecting relationships in the series, this is a serious issue affecting most if not all of the characters.
Chapter 21
Sylvester and Twan go to visit an apparent mobster named Joey. Sylvester informs Joey of some "job" that could get them a lot of money. While there, Joey accuses Twan of being a cop, as well as calling him "LL Fool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
," deeply offending Twan. Sylvester, trying to defuse the situation, asks Twan to wait outside the office while he and Joey discuss business. As Twan leaves the room, he remarks, "I'll be listening from the outside." Joey replies, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Mama said knock you out
Mama Said Knock You Out (song)
"Mama Said Knock You Out" is a hit single by LL Cool J from his album of the same name. The song famously begins with the line "Don't call it a comeback/I've been here for years." Before "Mama Said Knock You Out" was released, many people felt that LL Cool J's career was waning; his grandmother,...
, fuck outta here." While waiting outside, Twan has a nightmare of Sylvester and him in the same situation, being pointed at with guns. In the end, Sylvester wakes Twan up, then Joey and Sylvester say their goodbyes, and Joey asks Sylvester to tell Gwendolyn he says hello, as their deal is sealed.
- Ending scene: Joey and his goons laugh at Twan for having a nightmare, and Joey tells Sylvester to say hello to Gwendolyn for him.
- Ending line: "This guy..." and puffing smoke.
Chapter 22
The scene opens to O'Dale and Myrna's voicemail (Sylvester's parents) and eventually fades into the middle of the voicemail box where the narrator (Kelly) says, "and now the rumor." Throughout a series of phone conversations among all of the original characters from Chapters 1-12 and those introduced in Chapter 13-22, rumors of "The Package" circulate. Because Chuck has it, it has possibly been passed to Rufus, to his wife Cathy, to Sylvester, and to Gwendolyn. In addition, Bridget realizes that James knows both Chuck and Rufus, though he tried to hide it from her earlier, suggesting he may be on the "down-low" with Chuck as well. Gwendolyn also cheated on Sylvester with James however she used a condom as revealed in Chapter 4. This would put Bridget, Big Man, and James at serious risk. Lastly, Pimp Lucious gets a similar concerned call from an unidentified woman (who may have gotten "The Package" from Big Man, and subsequently passed it to Pimp Lucious). All in all, Chuck, Rufus, Cathy, Sylvester, Gwendolyn, James, Bridget, Big Man, and Pimp Lucious all could have been infected with the Package. Had Pimp Lucious been infected with "the package" (slang for HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
), he could have passed it to any or all of the hookers he pimps.
Additionally, although there is no confirmation of this, because he is the only pimp the story has focused on thus far, the watcher might assume that Lucious was the pimp who gave Tina her nervous twitch when she was working for him. Were this the case, Tina, Roxanne, Twan, and her baby could all be at risk.
- Closing scene: The screen fades to black with the words "To be continuedTo Be ContinuedTo Be Continued... is a 4 CD/4 cassette box set detailing Elton John's music from his days with Bluesology to the then-present day. Four new songs were recorded for the box set...
".
Cast
- Robert KellyR. KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
as Sylvester, Randolph, Rev. Mosley James Evans, Pimp Lucious, and the narrator - LeShay TomlinsonLeShay TomlinsonLeShay Tomlinson is a young Hebrew Israelite actress, best known for her role as Cathy in R. Kelly's hip hopera, Trapped in the Closet...
as Cathy a.k.a. Mary - Rolando A. Boyce as Rufus
- Artel GreatArtel Jarod WalkerArtel Walker is an American film and television actor currently using the stage name Artel Great. Under the name Artel Kayaru, he received a 2003 Independent Spirit Award nomination for 'Best Debut Performance' for his work in the 2002 film Dahmer.-Film:*Light It Up *Save the Last Dance *Dahmer...
as Chuck (chapters 2-17) - Kevin Douglass as Chuck (chapters 18-)
- Michael Kenneth WilliamsMichael K. WilliamsMichael Kenneth Williams is an American actor known for his portrayal of Omar Little on the HBO drama series The Wire, and of Albert "Chalky" White on HBO's Boardwalk Empire.-Early life and career:...
as Sgt. James - Cat Wilson as Gwendolyn
- Eric Lane as Twan
- La Donna Tittle as Rosie
- Rebecca FieldRebecca FieldRebecca Field is an American actress from Lenox, Massachusetts. She has played minor roles in various television shows and movies, including Monk. She played the role of 'Janet' on the ABC television series October Road. In R. Kelly's hip-hopera Trapped in the Closet, she plays the role of Bridget...
as Bridget - Drevon Cooks as Big Man
- Tracey Bonner as Tina
- Jermaine "Janky" Salmond as Street
- Erika RingorErika RingorErika Ringor is an American film actress.- Early life :Erika was born in Inglewood, California. She has a diverse ethnicity, a mix of African American, Filipina, and Caucasian ancestry. Raised by her mother Laura Ringor, Erika’s acting interest began at an early age during her high school years...
as Roxanne - Will OldhamWill OldhamWill Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
as Sgt. Platoon - Greg HollimonGreg HollimonGreg Hollimon is an actor best known for his work on Comedy Central's Strangers with Candy.Hollimon grew up in the Chicago housing projects of Cabrini–Green with Ozone from Breakin'. In 1986, he began taking improvisation classes at Players Workshop, where he met Paul Dinello and, some time later,...
as Det. Tom - Brian "Wildcat" Smith as Bishop Craig
- Pierre Maurey as Church Man
- Brendan Averett as Henchman #1
- Gino Crededio as Henchman #2
- Dominic Capone III as Joey
- Katherine Mitchell as Myrna
- Alan Donovan as Desk Sergeant
- Heather Zagone as Dixie
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
22 |
| US Pop Songs Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
38 |
External links
- Flagpole essay linking Trapped in the Closet to Renaissance concept of sprezzaturaSprezzaturaSprezzatura is an Italian word originating from Baldassare Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier, where it is defined by the author as “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.” It is...