Trapped in the Closet is a rap opera by American R&B singer R. Kelly, which currently consists of 33 "chapters" released from 2005 to 2012. Written and produced by Kelly, the series tells a story of a one-night stand which sets off a chain of events, gradually revealing a greater web of lies, sex, and deceit. The music follows a distinct E major pattern, and most chapters of the story feature the same melodic theme.

Background

The first five chapters of Trapped in the Closet originally appeared as the final tracks on Kelly's album TP.3 Reloaded. R. Kelly wrote and produced all five chapters, and they were recorded by Andy Gallas. The first chapter was released as the lead single from the album in 2005 by Jive Records. Kelly and Jive Records promoted the songs by releasing each of the first five chapters to radio stations one at a time.

Following the success and popularity of the Trapped in the Closet song series, R. Kelly lip synched a "new chapter" at an appearance at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. In November 2005, Jive Records released a DVD titled Trapped in the Closet, which included seven new chapters in addition to the first five from TP.3 Reloaded, bringing the total number of chapters to twelve. The material previewed by Kelly at the MTV Video Music Awards revealed an early version of some parts of the twelfth chapter in the series.

"Trapped in the Closet" is the twelfth episode in the ninth season of the animated series South Park. The 137th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on November 16, 2005. In the episode, Stan joins Scientology in an attempt to find something "fun and free". After the discovery of his surprisingly high "thetan levels", he is recognized as the reincarnation of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the church. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The title is a reference to the R. Kelly serialized song of the same name and a satirized version of R. Kelly appears in the episode.

"Trapped in the Closet (Chapter 1 of 5)" is an R&B song written and produced by American singer R. Kelly for his tenth studio album TP.3 Reloaded. It was released in early 2005 as the album's lead single together with "Sex in the Kitchen". The song is also featured on the soundtrack of the movie inspired by the song Trapped in the Closet Chapters 1-12. VH1 ranked it #41 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songs of the '00s.

Content and music video

The first chapter of "Trapped in the Closet" begins with the narrator, Sylvester (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 the couple ends up fooling around on the bed. Sylvester reflects 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 behind the shower curtain, under the bed, in the dresser, and then walks towards the closet. The first part ends with Sylvester reaching for his Beretta and the husband opening the closet.

Closeted and in the closet are adjectives for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender etc. (LGBT) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior. It can also be used to describe anyone who is hiding part of their identity because of social pressure.

Background

In late 20th-century America, the closet had become a central metaphor for grasping the history and social dynamics of gay life. The notion of the closet is inseparable from the concept of coming out. The closet narrative sets up an implicit dualism between being "in" or being "out". Those who are "in" are often stigmatized as living false, unhappy lives. However, though many people would prefer to be “out” of the closet, there are numerous social, economic, familial, and personal repercussions that lead to them remaining, whether consciously or unconsciously, “in” the closet. The decision to come out or remain in the closet is considered a deeply personal one, and outing remains a problem in today’s culture.

The Closet may refer to:

See also

The Closet (Chinese: 異塚; pinyin: yì zhǒng) is a 2007 Hong Kong film directed by Kin-Nam Cho.

Plot

Due to his rebellious nature, Lo Fei suffered a traumatic childhood with abuse and maltreatment from his bad-tempered but famous sculptor father. Apart from receiving corporal punishment and verbal abuse, he was often locked up inside the wardrobe. The dark childhood turned Lo into a weirdo frequently tormented by the pain of childhood memories as well as hallucination of his dead father. Lo betrayed his father's artistic career and chose to become a magician and performer of extremities instead, to prove his own capabilities. During one of his death-defying show, Lo was seriously wounded by shocks of his childhood nightmares. Not knowing the truth behind it, his girlfriend Lei thought he was stretching his physical strength too far. She therefore took him to a quiet retreat in the suburb to recuperate. On a windy moonless night, the five of them went through a terrifying catastrophe.

In the closet may refer to:

In music and film