Down Low

"Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" is an R&B song about infidelity, released as a single by R. Kelly and featuring The Isley Brothers, on his self-titled album, in 1996. The song was a hit, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching number one on the R&B Singles Chart.

The song was a tongue-in-cheek song that had the narrator fooling around with another man's woman and telling the woman to keep their relationship as a closely-guarded secret, hence the chorus "Keep it on the down low / Nobody has to know." While Kelly sings along, the "other man", Ronald Isley, sings in his trademark falsetto exclaiming "How could you go so low?"

Music video

The music video to the song was as equally as popular as the song, which was one of Kelly's first self-directed videos and was the first big video Kelly had done. Including Isley as the character Mr. Frank Biggs, Kelly plays out the lyrics to the song by having Mr. Biggs go out of town on business while Kelly and Biggs' woman, named Lila Heart, (played by Garcelle Beauvais) go out on the town. During one time together, Kelly and Lila make love in spite of the warning Mr. Biggs have gave Kelly about not getting physically involved with her.

Because of this, later on that night, an altercation occurs between Kelly and Mr. Biggs' bodyguards who then confront Lila after injuring Kelly. Dropping him off of in a desert location bloodied, Mr. Biggs angrily says, "I did this to you!" and after one hit from a sledgehammer, leaves Kelly stranded out. Later taken to an ambulance where he rests in a wheelchair, he discovers Lila had accompanied a room and goes in to see a sedated Lila in intensive care. After Kelly tearfully exclaims "I love you", Lila succumbs to her injuries, ending the video.

This song, along with TLC's "Creep" and Brian McKnight's "On The Down Low" incorporates the down low situation in regard to men sleeping with other women.

The success of the video shown on both MTV and BET helped sent the song to number-four pop and number-one R&B, given the Isley Brothers their first Top 40 pop record since 1980's "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love)", reviving the career of the group's front man Ronald Isley, who later used "Mr. Biggs" as his moniker and was Kelly's third top 10 pop record.

Pop culture references

The song appeared on the Episode of Moesha. and the 2003 film "Old School"

This video is loosely based on the Kevin Costner film, "Revenge"

Credits

• R. Kelly and Ronald Isley: lead vocals
• Ronald Isley and Ernie Isley: background vocals
• Ernie Isley: guitars
• Other instrumentation by R. Kelly
• Produced, written, arranged and composed by R. Kelly

External links

• "Down Low (Nobody Has To Know)" music video at YouTube (requires Adobe Flash)