"The World's Greatest" is a song written and performed by American R&B singer R. Kelly. The song was originally featured on the soundtrack to the film Ali, and also appeared on bootleg copies of Kelly's unreleased album, Loveland, which later became a bonus disc to Chocolate Factory. 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.

Chart performance

The song reached number 31 on the Billboard R&B chart. In the UK, it peaked at number four.

Music video

The music video was directed by Bille Woodruff. 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 European CD single UK CD single UK cassette single

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history