MLK = Bob Marley = R. Kelly?

Page Six has an awesome quote from a new interview with R. Kelly in Hip-Hop Soul Magazine:

"My greatest competition is, well, me . . . I'm the Ali of today. I'm the Marvin Gaye of today. I'm the Bob Marley of today. I'm the Martin Luther King, or all the other greats that have come before us. And a lot of people are starting to realize that now."

And I agree with the "R", if we break down what he's trying to say.

I only disagree with him limiting his greatness to Black heroes instead of other noteworthy luminaries such as Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, and Chuck Norris. It is troubling, as his issue knows no racial boundaries.

MLK, Ali, and Marley challenged peoples pre-conceived notions.

To the average racist of the 60's, the thought of little black children and little white children holding hands was horrific. Martin Luther King brought that image to the forefront of American consciousness. Now, we have MLK day as a national holiday.

To the average racist of the 60's, the thought of a outspoken athlete was abominable. Muhammad Ali brought that image to the forefront of American consciousness. Now, we applaud Ali as a pioneer and welcome outspoken athletes like Charles Barkley.

To the average racist of the 70's, the thought of a profound poet from Jamaica was inconceivable. Bob Marley brought that image to the forefront of American consciousness. Now, TIME Magazine calls Bob Marley's Exodus record the greatest album of the 20th century.

What R. Kelly means to humanity, quite honestly, has nothing to do with race.

To the average, sane, well-adjusted, socially responsible, resident of the 21st century without a criminal record, the thought of a person peeing on anyone, much less and underage girl, is repulsive. Yet, R. Kelly still sells albums with allusions to his impropriety. Some of us have learned to block it out when we're buying his records, grooving to his jams, or reading about his tribute to Virginia Tech.

No one has quite distinguished themselves as much as R. Kelly has in human mitteration.

His case has been dragging for years, and, who knows? Maybe it will finally take place before global warming causes glaciers to wash away life as we know it, much like R. Kelly's golden showers threatened to drown out his career.

But that's just a nagging detail.

In the interim, let's all pour a few drops in honor of this noteworthy pioneer.
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Do you think R. Kelly is worthy? What "icons" are more appropriate for him? And when do you think he's going to trial?