R. Kelly Says Whitney Houston Was Like A Sister On 'Sparkle'

Fans celebrated what would've been Whitney Houston's 49th birthday last week, and on August 17, they'll get a chance to enjoy some new work from late singer, when the remake of"Sparkle" is released.

R. Kelly had a chance to collaborate with Houston on creating the soundtrack to the film and he tells MTV News that it was a memorable experience and a no-brainer to get involved.

"I'm proud of the whole outcome of the movie, the cast and everything," Kells said, recounting his decision to contribute. "When the director came to me about a year and half ago about it, and explained it to me, [I thought] 'that's right up and down my alley.' I grew up watching [1976's] "Sparkle." It's one of my favorite movies and I've kinda got the old school and new school in me, so it was perfect for me to go back and dig up that old vibe as far as the old tracks was concerned. It was perfect, and I had a ball doing it."

In the film, Whitney Houston stars as Emma, mother of the lead character, Sparkle (played by "American Idol" singer Jordin Sparks), but she naturally, she had a hand in creating "Sparkle: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" with R. Kelly.

"We challenged each other a lot in the studio, from the first moment we laid eyes on each other, but it was a lot of fun," he explained. "Whitney was a ball of fun, she reminded me of my sister who I used to argue with over music and that's what me and Whitney did — we argued over what note she wanted to hit and what note I wanted her to hit, but it was fun. At the end of the day, we got it down."

"Sparkle" zeroes in on three young musicians battling with addiction. Houston served as an executive producer on the film, after acquiring the rights to it over a decade ago. Houston's work on the soundtrack includes "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" and "Celebrate," in addition to contributions from Jordin Sparks and Cee Lo Green.

What do you think of R. Kelly's contributions on the "Sparkle" soundtrack? Let us know in the comments!