Whatever my feelings about R. Kelly, I am willing to give him this benefit of the doubt: I do not believe he had anything to do with 9/11, unlike a dismissed potential juror. But he was working on this in 2001, which in historical retrospect seems even more self-involved than he usually is.

Here are five things to do today:

ART & DESIGN - Richard Rogers
The starchitect reminisces about a career that has included Paris’s Centre Pompidou, Madrid’s Barajas Airport and the 2007 Pritzker Prize. 6pm. Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Ave, Rubloff Auditorium (312-443-3631, archdesignsociety.org). Metra: Elec to Millennium Station. El: Red, Blue to Jackson; Orange, Green, Pink, Brown, Purple (rush hrs) to Adams. Bus: 3, X3, 4 (24hrs), X4, 6, 14, 26, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 151 (24hrs), 157. $15, Architecture & Design Society members $10, students $5.

COMEDY - Messing With A Friend
Susan Messing’s the queen of pushing the awkwardness of a situation into funny. Don’t believe us? Give her two-person show—a new guest joins each week—a shot. 10:30pm. Annoyance Theatre, 4840 N Broadway between Lawrence Ave and Ainslie St (773-561-4665). El: Red to Lawrence. Bus: 36 Broadway, 81 Lawrence (24hrs). $5.

FILM - The Witnesses benefit
Good film, good cause. If you feel like putting down a little extra cash for charity, may we recommend the special screening of The Witnesses to benefit AIDS charity Vital Bridges. Film critic Richard Knight will discuss the film after the screening, and later in the evening there is a post-screening party with a raffle at Halsted’s Bar and Grill. 6:30pm. Music Box, 3733 N Southport Ave between Grace St and Waveland Ave (773-871-6604). El: Brown to Southport. Bus: 80 Irving Park, 152 Addison. Tickets to the film are $25, but the film and the party together are just $40.

MUSIC - El-P + Dizzee Rascal + Busdriver at Abbey Pub
Nas named his last album Hip-Hop Is Dead, and darn it if the MC wasn’t dangerously close to the truth. The state of hip-hop hasn’t been this dire in ages. Chin up, there remain a few bright exceptions to the genre’s burnout, and two of them share the bill tonight. El-P has crafted his own niche in the hip-hop world as a gritty, iconoclastic producer, rapper and indie-mogul of Def Jux Records. England’s Dizzee Rascal, meanwhile, remains the poster boy for grime—the harsh U.K. subgenre of cold digital beats and lightning spitting. If it has thus far failed to thrive in the U.S., that’s in part because MCs like Dizzee still sound slightly ahead of the curve. 9pm. Abbey Pub, 3420 W Grace St at Elston Ave (773-478-4408). El: Blue to Addison. Bus: 80, 82, 152. $20.18 and older.

SHOPPING & STYLE - Apartment Therapy party
Designophile website ApartmentTherapy.com recently held a contest in which readers from around the country sent in examples of their stellar small spaces. Tonight is the moment we’ve all been waiting for: The winners of the fourth annual Smallest, Coolest contest will finally be announced. The site’s founder is even flying in for the occasion. And as at any good party, you can expect wine, snacks and lots of design-geek talk. 6–8pm. Room & Board, 55 E Ohio St between Rush St and Wabash Ave (312-222-0970, roomandboard.com). El: Red to Grand. Bus: 22 (24hrs), 29, 65.