As Benedict Cumberbatch proved on Jimmy Kimmel last week, everyone sounds sexier when they’re reading R. Kelly lyrics. And as R. Kelly has proved, apparently no one cares about your extremely suspect past when you can sing as sexily as R. Kelly. To mark the release of the singer’s album Black Panties tomorrow, today’s Pop Psychology is split into two parts: in the left column, we break down the irresistible sexiness of his latest single, Genius. In the right column, we recap some of the major moments from his life, courtesy WBEZ 91.5 Chicago’s handy timeline.

Reading suggestion: Listen to R. Kelly’s hit Genuis below, then scroll down to follow along with the lyrics.