R. Kelly's New Take On Deception

R. Kelly has done it again. He has created another video masterpiece — replete with twists and turns — but this time with another R&B heavyweight, Usher.

The funny thing about R. Kelly is that amidst all the aburdity, he takes himself so seriously. Case in point, 2005's "Trapped In the Closet."

In the R&B opera, Kelly is a pastor's wife's lover who hides in the closet when the pastor comes home, only to hear Kelly's cell phone ring. The affair is discovered, but the pastor has a secret of his own — he's having an affair with a man, a deacon no less. Kelly calls his home, a man answers the phone and he realizes his wife is cheating. It goes on and on, until the police officer who was having an affair with Kelly's wife finds out that his own wife is having an affair with a midget. Turns out the pastor's wife is good friends with Kelly's wife.

In the much-anticipated and hyped duet with Usher, "Same Girl" the two crooners are having a casual conversation about Kelly's new girlfriend. It starts in their respective lavish mansions when Kelly calls Usher on his cell phone.

"She drives a black Durango license plate say 'Angel,' tattoo on her ankle," Kelly tells Usher. "Plus she's making pesos she got a crib on Peach street down on 17th street. And I call her 'TT.'"

"Wait a minute, hold on dawg. Do she got a kid?" Usher asks.

"Yep," Kelly responds.

"Love Some Waffle House?"

"Yep."

It continues like this until the two confirm that "We messing with the same girl."

It's a rare thing to hear of two male hip-hop stars getting played by a female. Surprisingly, Kelly (who is charged with having sex with a minor) seems legitimately devastated that the woman he says could be his future wife is flying back and forth between his home in Chicago and Usher's home in Atlanta.

The newest R. Kelly video is not quite as absurd. In fact, compared to "Trapped in the Closet," it's actually plausible. In "The Same Girl," directed by Little X, Usher and Kelly embark on a journey to find this girl.

Warning, spoiler alert ahead:

Kelly hops on a jet to Atlanta where Usher picks him up. They hug realizing they were had by a master player. They smoke fine cigars, drink Hennessey and play basketball while they try to get to the bottom of the mystery. Finally Usher calls her and Kelly gets on the phone. They set up a meeting where they hope to catch her in the act. But the twist: The girl is actually a pair of twins. No one was cheating. Hurray.

The song and the video reinforces R. Kelly's fascination not only with sex (which has been apparent since the days of "Bump and Grind") but also deception and distrust.

It could make one wonder what is the self-proclaimed "King of R&B" showing us about his own fears and weaknesses?