Q: You told BET last year that you had not seen the tape that allegedly shows you having sex with an underage girl. Have you seen it now?

R.Kelly: I can't get into the specifics of that, man. I got this trial coming up, and I don't want to take no chances.

Q: You are up on multiple sex-related charges, and you have been releasing a number of sexual songs, such as "Ignition." Why not shy away from that?

R.Kelly: People have to understand that this is my job. This is what I do. And because of it, not only have I been able to eat for 15 years, but there's a lot of people, not in just my record company but kids in other cities, kids in hospitals that have been able to eat because of my songs, because I decided to write songs and because I continued to write. I feel good about that.

Q: Plus, with the charges against you, you still put a lot of sexual imagery in your videos. Why do that?

R.Kelly: I wish people could just know me as a person. If [only] people knew Robert and weren't concentrating on what they see on the video, my alter ego with a cigar in his mouth, a drink in his hand and women around him -- that's placement. It's no different than when you go to a Broadway show and you see all the glitter and glamour, all the costumes. That is not those people when they come off the stage.