Wikipedia

Trapped in the Closet

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 220.116.151.35 (talk) at 20:26, 1 December 2005 (→Chapter 9). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
This article is about the R. Kelly song. For the South Park episode, see Trapped in the Closet (South Park).
"Trapped in the Closet"
Single by R. Kelly
From the album TP-3: Reloaded
B-side "In The Kitchen"
Released May/June 2005
Format CD single
Digital download
12" single
DVD
Recorded 2005
Genre R&B
Length approx 40:42
(first twelve parts)
Label Jive
Writer R. Kelly
Producer R. Kelly
Chart positions #22 (USA)
#14 (R&B)
R. Kelly single chronology
""Big Chips"
(2004) 		"Trapped in the Closet"
(2005) 		"Playas Only"
(2005)

"Trapped In The Closet" is a single released by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song is an ongoing narrative which Kelly has sent to radio one part at a time. As of November 2005, twelve parts have been released, witheight played on radio. The story is about a man named Sylvester, portrayed by Kelly. Sylvester is likely named after Kelly's middle name.

The song is notable and unique for many reasons including its lack of a chorus, its detailed and linear narration of a story in a conversational and sometimes rambling manner, its dramatics, and its dangling cliffhangers that occur between parts. Detractors of Kelly argue the story is told with a choppy, semi-literate tone, while the music and vocalization are the same in every part of the song.

Development

On August 28, 2005, Kelly released a chapter in the series exclusively for the MTV Video Music Awards in Miami, Florida. This was believed to be its sixth chapter. However, it turns out to be Chapter 12 of the series, in which Kelly changes the ending of the MTV VMA Version so that the story can continue with these characters. He told music fans that if they liked the show's surprises, then they would love the twists and turns that his song has in store.

Kelly also mentioned on the October 28, 2005 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live that there was a possibility of a play based on the events of this single.


Characters

Name Actor/Actress
Sylvester R. Kelly
Gwendolyn Cat Wilson
Rufus Rolando Boyce
Cathy LeShay Tomlinson
Chuck Malik S. Middleton
James Michael Kenneth Williams
Twan Drevon Cooks
Bridget Rebecca Field
Big Man Eric Lane
Rosie La Donna Tittle

Synopsis

Template:Spoiler

Chapter 1

The first chapter of "Trapped In The Closet" begins with the narrator, Sylvester (who is portrayed by Kelly), waking up and realizing that he is not in his own bed. He recalls leaving a nightclub with a strange woman the previous night, and that he was in her bed. As Sylvester is scolding himself for what he has done as a married man, the woman comes back into the bedroom from the bathroom. Sylvester tells her that he has to leave quickly. She tells him he can't leave out the door because she hears her husband coming up the stairs. Sylvester says he'll jump out the window, but she reminds him that they are on the fifth floor. Sylvester thinks frantically, and then decides to hide in the closet. A few seconds later, the husband walks in, and they end up fooling around on the bed. Sylvester reflects to himself that the woman deserves an Oscar for her skillful acting. Suddenly, Sylvester's cell phone rings and he hurries to put it on vibrate. The husband hears the ring and suspects something is wrong. He searches the house for another person. He looks under the bed, behind the shower curtain, and then walks towards the closet. The first part ends with Sylvester reaching for his Beretta and the husband opening the closet.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "Now he's opening the closet."

Chapter 2

In the second part of the song, the husband opens the closet and begins to yell at his wife for spending her free time cheating on him. He reveals to his wife that he had suspected her of cheating all along but did not want to believe it. As the couple is arguing, Sylvester tells them that he wants no part of what was happening, so he tries to leave. The husband tells Sylvester to stay put and that he would have killed Sylvester if Sylvester wasn't holding a loaded gun himself. Sylvester then tells the couple to let him go, since it was the wife's fault that Sylvester was there. The wife had never told Sylvester that she was married. Again, the husband tells Sylvester and the wife to both stay put, and tells them that there is something he needs to show them both first. He makes a phone call and tells the person on the other end to turn the car back around. Meanwhile, Sylvester threatens to shoot the husband and wife if they do not let him come out of the closet, and the husband reveals to Sylvester that he is a pastor and does not want to see violence. Sylvester tells the couple that they have to the count of four before he starts shooting. Sylvester begins to count, as the wife suspects the husband of having cheated on her. The husband tells the wife that "everyone is coming out of the closet today," and that he does not want to be the only one who is heartbroken on that day. As Sylvester is about to get to four, the door opens and the husband's lover is revealed to be a man.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: (depending on version) "I can't believe its a man!" or "I'll be goddamned, it's a man!"

Chapter 3

In part three, all four people are arguing in the room together, with the husband and wife bickering back and forth about whose cheating was worse. The wife attacks the husband for having been with another man and not telling her, and says that his crime is worse since she was caught accidentally and he revealed his cheating just to upset her. Sylvester watches everything that transpires from the closet and says for them to stop and that he didn't stay there to watch them fight. Then the husband's lover starts to explain what has been going on between the two of them. Sylvester says that he doesn't want the guy to go into details. The husband goes into saying that its the wife's fault. Then his lover says they're in love and the husband says they're getting married. Sylvester calls his house only to find a man picking up the phone. The chapter ends with Sylvester thinking his wife has also had an affair.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: " ... a man picks up the phone."

Chapter 4

In part four, Sylvester is driving home and is pulled over by a police officer. The officer mentions that he was speeding, gives him a ticket and sends him on his way. As Sylvester arrives home he starts asking his wife what man answered the phone, which is revealed to him that it was her brother, which she reminded Sylvester earlier that he was staying over. Sylvester admits that he forgot, and they begin to make love to each other. At the end, Sylvester finds a condom on the bed.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "Oh my god, a rubber!"


Chapter 5

In part 5, Sylvester reveals his knowledge of his wife's infidelity. She acts as if she was stunned. He questions her in reference to who she was cheating with, but she later reveals her knowledge of his infidelity. She later tells Sylvester that she has a friend named Roxanne, who is a friend of Chuck, who is cool with a guy named Rufus, and Rufus is the husband of Cathy, the lady who Sylvester cheated with. She then says that she and Cathy went to high school together. Cathy was the culprit who introduced his wife to the officer who pulled Sylvester over. Hence, the officer was her secret lover.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "... the policeman that stopped you."

Chapter 6

(Premiered October 12, 2005 - BET Access Granted)

Sylvester and his wife have a laugh after Sylvester explains the events that transpired between himself, Chuck, Rufus, and Kathy. Out of concern, James, the policeman who pulled over Sylvester in Chapter 4, drives back to the house. He sees that Sylvester's car is parked outside, and that the front door has been busted open. James pulls out his gun and goes inside. Sylvester and his wife are cracking up but from James' perspective he thinks there is crying going on. He then busts into the room and points his gun at Sylvester, who points his own gun back at James. Sylvester drops his gun, and puts his hands up, and then James winks and smiles at Sylvester which angers him and then he struggles with James over his gun. While they are fighting, the gun accidentally fires.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "... then all of a sudden, pow."

Chapter 7

It is discovered that Twan, Gwen's brother who just was released from prison, is the one who was shot. Sylvester and James argue about who is at fault for the shooting while Sylvester blames everything on the cop. Gwendolyn is hysterical, thinking that Twan is dead. Twan wakes up, having only been shot in the shoulder and everyone tells him what is going on. There is a knock on the door and Sylvester does not want to answer it. After being insulted by James, Sylvester decides he will shoot whomever is at the door, picks his gun up from the floor, and points it towards the door. Twan grabs James' gun and points it towards the door. The door opens and it is the next door neighbor, Rosie.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "...it's Rosie the nosy neighbor..."

Chapter 8

James gets in his police car after leaving Sylvester's house and calls his wife, a trailer park-raised woman named Bridget. Bridget was a little concerned after not having heard from her husband but James assures her that he's fine and on his way home. Bridget tells James that she's excited to see him and she baked him a cherry pie. Meanwhile at Sylvester's house, Rosie, the next door neighbor, tells Gwendolyn, Sylvester and Twan that she couldn't stand the cop that just left their house. Sylvester and Twan laugh. Back at James and Bridget's house, James pulls up to the house. A panicked Bridget rushes to the door and kisses her husband, then suggests he go upstairs. James wonders why Bridget is all jittery and Bridget comes up with excuse after excuse. James, instead, insists on heating up some leftover chicken. Bridget continues to panic which upsets James even more. James finally starts to suspect that his wife is sleeping around and starts questioning her. Bridget hesitates and an angered James yells that she'd better confess or he was going to shoot. It becomes clear that the man Bridget is cheating with is still in the house. A man is in the closet who is played by R. Kelly, but it is not Sylvester. It is actually the narrator.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "...somebody is still right there in his home..."

Chapter 9

James is now searching in his kitchen. Looking at the table, he sees the cherry pie with a slice cut out. James becomes aware that someone else was in the house because Bridget is allergic to cherries. He becomes enraged. Bridget stands in front of the cabinet door and he pushes her aside. At this point, the lyrics of this song revert somewhat back to the cliff hanger of the first chapter, which is somewhat amusing. James opens the door, and the narrator reveals the man is a midget.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "...what I'm about to tell you is so damn twisted, not only is a man in the cabinet, but the man is a midget..." '

Chapter 10

The Midget jumps out of the cabinet and fights with James who has the clear upper hand. Bridget runs upstairs and searches her purse for a phone number. James demands of the midget what he was doing in James' house. The midget wipes cherry pie crust crumbs off his face and responds that he was paid not to tell. James points his gun directly at the midget who admits that he has just "shitted on [him]self". Back at Sylvester's house, he, Twan, and Gwen are enjoying themselves and playing cards when the phone rings. Gwen answers it. It's Bridget, panicked, who found Gwen's number in James' pocket and gives Sylvester the address, presumably to go over and stop the fight. Back at James' house James and the midget are still fighting when Bridget bursts into the kitchen with a double barrel shotgun, James draws his pistol, the midget pulls out his inhaler. Suddenly, Twan and Sylvester burst in with guns drawn to diffuse the scene and notice a peculiar odor coming from the midget's trousers. The midget then faints because of all the madness.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "...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

After busting into the house, Sylvester begs Bridget and James to put the guns down but they both say no. When Twan says to kill them all, Bridget says she will drop the gun if James doesn't hurt the midget, Big Man who is a stripper at a club called Paje and that is where he met Bridget. After Gwendolyn calls Sylvester to see if everything is okay, Bridget admits that she paid Big Man and also says that she even followed James around while he was with Gwen. She then reveals that Big Man is her baby's daddy.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "...he's my baby's daddy..."

Chapter 12

Back at Cathy's house, she, Rufus, and Chuck are getting up from the floor. Cathy confronts Rufus about "creeping" around with Chuck, who is a deacon of a church, and then says "there's no tellin' what I've got," referring to sexually transmitted diseases. Chuck becomes offended and claims that she doesn't know him like that. He also exclaims that she will pay for what she said and then pulls out a knife on her. The fight continues until Rufus breaks them up. However, they still continue to argue with each other while Rufus tries to work it all out. The phone rings but the three ignore it and continue fighting. After the phone rings a second time, Cathy answers. Gwendolyn is on the other line, and she begins telling Cathy about all the drama that she's been through. When Gwen tells Cathy about Sylvester going to the Paje's club and the "ho" that he slept with, Cathy realizes that the man she had slept with that night had been Sylvester. Cathy tries to tell Gwen who the "ho" is, but Gwen keeps on going on about James and his wife and the rest of the day. While Cathy is on the phone, Chuck and Rufus are getting annoyed and are trying to hurry Cathy. Cathy yells at them and finally tells Gwen to shut up and listen to her. She then reveals to Gwen that the woman that her husband slept with the previous night was she (Cathy).

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "...that ho was me..."

Chapter 13

After Cathy tells Gwendolyn about the night before, Gwen hangs up the phone and Cathy starts crying and going nuts. Rufus asks her why she is crying and she just tells him to leave her alone. She then tells Rufus and Chuck about Gwen not speaking to her and then Rufus says he would do the same with everything she has been pulling. Rufus and Cathy begin to argue until Chuck chimes in and tells Cathy to pack her things, he and Rufus will be living in the apartment. Cathy is shocked at this. Rufus then realizes what all he has done and leaves Chuck for good.

Ending "cliffhanger" line: "... I'm going back to my wife..."

Parodies and derivatives

The uniqueness of "Trapped in the Closet" has inspired numerous parodies parodies and derivatives.

Formats and tracklistings

These are the formats and tracklistings of major single-releases of "Trapped in the Closet".

File:TITC.jpg
USA DVD (not DVD single) cover of "Trapped in the Closet"

USA CD single

(Released April 5 2005)

  1. "In the Kitchen (Album Version)"
  2. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 1)"
  3. "In the Kitchen (Remix)"

USA DVD

(Released November 1 2005)
(Note: This is not a DVD single, but a full length release)

  1. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 1)"
  2. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 2)"
  3. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 3)"
  4. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 4)"
  5. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 5)"
  6. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 6)"
  7. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 7)"
  8. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 8)"
  9. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 9)"
  10. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 10)"
  11. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 11)"
  12. "Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 12)"
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trapped_in_the_Closet&oldid=29836553"