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R. Kelly wrote 'Ignition (Remix)' five years before 'Ignition'
R&B's titanic musical mystery has somehow reached even greater depths of utter confusion
'Ignition' and 'Ignition (Remix)': two tracks with which R. Kelly dared to challenge the very definition of what a remix constitutes.
Though both appear side-by-side on his 2003 release, Chocolate Factory; 'Ignition (Remix)' is a remix of 'Ignition' only so far as it features a couple of the same backbeats and strong revisit to the word, "bounce".
The story goes that 'Ignition', first recorded in 2002, was originally set to appear on Kelly's Loveland album. After its leak, and Kelly's decision to turn Loveland into Chocolate Factory, 'Ignition' received its remix after the studio liked the "bounce, bounce" ending to the song.
However, the story doesn't end there. Whilst in conversation with Kelly, GQ uncovered what they described as the "bizarre and counter-logical" origins to the hit 'Ignition (Remix)'.
Apparently, Kelly wrote the main basis of 'Ignition (Remix)', specifically the lyrics "It's the remix to 'Ignition'/ hot and fresh out the kitchen", a whole five or so years before he wrote 'Ignition'. The lines were temporarily shelved, as Kelly didn't particularly think they were any good; potentially because "remix to 'Ignition'" was an entirely meaningless phrase at that point.
To break that little factoid down: R. Kelly wrote lyrics identifying the remix to a song which would not exist on this planet for another five years.
Though he admits it's "ass-backwards", when asked how exactly he managed to write remixed lyrics to a song he hadn't created yet, all he could do was say, "You tell me."
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