"The World's Greatest" is a song written and performed by American R&B singer

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

. The song was originally featured on the soundtrack to the film ''

Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam ...

'', and also appeared on bootleg copies of Kelly's unreleased album, ''Loveland'', which later became a bonus disc to ''

Chocolate Factory ''Chocolate Factory'' is the fifth studio album by American recording artist R. Kelly, released on February 18, 2003, by Jive Records. Recording sessions took place mainly at Rockland Studios and Chicago Recording Company in Chicago, Illinois, and ...

''. Released as a single in November 2001, "The World's Greatest" became a hit in Europe, reaching number two in the Netherlands, number four in the United Kingdom, and the top 20 in nine other European countries. In the United States, it peaked at number 34 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Reception and awards

The song reached number 31 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Its music video, which portrayed Kelly as a boxer, was in heavy rotation on channels like MTV and BET. In the UK, it peaked at number four.

Music video

The music video is directed by

Bille Woodruff Bille Woodruff is a director of film, television and music videos, noted for directing many videos for a number of R&B and hip-hop artists since the mid-1990s. These artists include Joe, for whom Woodruff has directed 9 music videos since 1994, ...

. Kelly is a boxer in this video, playing the part of Muhammad Ali, as this song was originally a tribute to him. There is no color in the video except for red, the hue of Kelly's boxing clothes.

Track listings

Australian CD single # "The World's Greatest" (radio edit) # "The World's Greatest" (album version) # "The World's Greatest" (instrumental) # "I Decided" European CD single # "The World's Greatest" (radio edit) – 3:56 # "The World's Greatest" (album version) – 4:36 UK CD single # "The World's Greatest" (radio edit) – 3:56 # "The World's Greatest" (album version) – 4:36 # "I Decided" – 4:12 UK cassette single # "The World's Greatest" (album version) – 4:36 # "I Decided" – 4:12

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:World's Greatest 2000s ballads 2002 singles 2001 songs Jive Records singles Music videos directed by Bille Woodruff R. Kelly songs Song recordings produced by R. Kelly Songs about Muhammad Ali Songs written by R. Kelly UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles