Prosecutors and defense lawyers will during their day give their opening speeches before a jury of twelve people.
The trial is expected to last for several weeks and a conviction could lead to a long prison sentence for the singer.
Abuse and pornography
In total, the r'n'b artist is accused of sexually abusing about twenty women and a man.
R Kelly is said to have actively sought out women and girls for sexual purposes with the help of, among others, his bodyguards and his staff.
He is then said to have isolated, abused and sexually exploited them, among other things to make pornography.
He is also said to have demanded total obedience from his victims, which among other things meant that they were only allowed to eat and go to the toilet with his permission, that they were only allowed to wear loose-fitting clothes outdoors and not be allowed to look at other men.
R Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, has been in custody since 2019. The allegations of abuse span three decades, from the time R Kelly broke through in her hometown of Chicago in the 1990s until the mid-2010s.
The indictment was brought over two years ago, but due to the pandemic, the trial has been postponed until now.
On Monday, the first hearing was held with the process of selecting jury members.