bigted Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 In case you didn't hear about this: Ed Betz/AP Photo R. Kelly's Camp Considers Legal Action By LARRY McSHANE Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - Lawyers for singer R. Kelly were filing a criminal complaint against a member of rapper Jay-Z's entourage and considering other legal action after the platinum-selling stars' joint tour came to an abrupt end. The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer was booted from remaining shows at Madison Square Garden by the promoter Saturday, a day after a member of Jay-Z's entourage allegedly blasted Kelly with pepper spray, said his publicist, Allan Mayer. The promoter announced that Jay-Z, with special guests, would do the shows alone. Kelly's lawyers were filing a complaint against the entourage member and considering action over the decision to remove Kelly from the tour, Mayer said. "The fans deserve better than this," Kelly said in a statement. "I'd like the show to go on. It's really disappointing that Jay-Z and the promoter don't." Jay-Z and R. Kelly were in the midst of a 40-city "Best of Both Worlds" tour, which has been beset by canceled shows and reports that the feuding performers weren't even on speaking terms. The tour, which had been scheduled to run through Nov. 28, has been canceled, said promoter Jeff Sharp of Atlanta Worldwide Touring. Jay-Z's publicist was unsure if the rapper would try and fill the remaining dates as a solo act. The pepper-spray incident happened about an hour into Friday night's show, when Kelly walked on stage and said he saw two people in the audience waving guns, Mayer said. Kelly abruptly stopped his set around 9:30 p.m. while arena security employees searched for weapons. Finding none, guards told Kelly it was safe to continue performing, Mayer said. But as the singer was making his way back to the stage, a man in Jay-Z's entourage - apparently miffed that Kelly interrupted the show - sprayed him and two of his bodyguards in the face, Mayer said. "I'm pretty sure Jay didn't realize what was going on," Mayer said. All three men were treated at St. Vincent's Hospital and released, he said. Jay-Z performed for another 45 minutes after Kelly was sprayed. Jana Fleishman, publicist for Jay-Z, said Saturday that the rapper's entourage knew nothing about the incident because it occurred while Jay-Z was performing. Jay-Z "did not attack R. Kelly in any way, shape or form," Fleishman said. In a radio interview on Hot 97 FM radio Friday, Jay-Z said he couldn't understand why Kelly left the stage. "You can't get a gun inside Madison Square Garden," the rapper said. "If people give me love he can't take it." The Chicago Sun-Times reported discord between the two performers after Kelly showed up more than two hours late for a show in Chicago and walked off the stage mid-performance in St. Louis this month. Three shows on the tour were canceled because of "technical difficulties" suffered by Kelly, Fleishman said. On Tuesday, Kelly and Jay-Z released their collaborative CD "Unfinished Business." ___ Associated Press writers Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Chaka Ferguson contributed to this story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny 5 Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 interesting, thanks for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpinJack AJ Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Yeah, really interesting. I think The Best of Both Worlds thing is a bunch of crap. They just don't have any chemistry. It dosen't make sense 4 them 2 make albums 2gether (or tour). They simply don't have it. It dosen't matter if u can sell millions alone...their music dosen't make any sense 2gether. People who like top 10 music might like it...but i don't think R. Kelly fans or Jay-Z fans really like their albums 2gether that much. I think it's really messed up that Jay-Z is playing stupid and doing shows himself. The term "the show must go on" makes sense under certain circumstances...but not when people come 2 see them perform 2gether. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Da Brakes Posted November 1, 2004 Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 Thanks for the article :thumb: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted November 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2004 This shows how disrespectful and selfish Jay-Z is as a person, he only cares about himself, out of respect towards R. Kelly he should stop performing on this tour, I think less artists should collaborate with him now because he's bringin' too much negativity to the game, he probably did this 'cause of jealousy towards R. Kelly, no matter how much you don't like somebody, you shouldn't try and hurt them because at the end of the day it's only music! :ditto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted November 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 Here's another article about this: Ed Betz/AP Photo R. Kelly Sues Jay-Z After Tour Cut Short By SAMUEL MAULL Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - Singer R. Kelly sued rapper Jay-Z on Monday for $75 million, alleging Jay-Z's "spite and jealousy" prompted him to use violence to force Kelly off their national tour. The breach of contract suit suggests Jay-Z was perturbed because Kelly was the higher-paid performer. The animosity led to deliberate lighting flubs and other technical problems, violence against Kelly, and threats to force the promoter to drop him, court papers say. The promoter is also named as a defendant. Kelly, whose best-known hit is "I Believe I Can Fly," accused one of Jay-Z's associates of blasting him with pepper spray early Saturday at Madison Square Garden. He was treated at a hospital and released. A short time later, the tour's promoter, Atlanta Worldwide Touring, fired Kelly. He and Jay-Z were in the middle of a 40-city tour that had been plagued by canceled shows and reports the two refused to speak to each other. The tour was supposed to be "the perfect marriage of hip-hop and R&B," said Kelly's lawyer, Edward Hayes. "Instead, it's going to be a terrible divorce." Atlanta Worldwide said Sunday that the tour has been canceled. Jay-Z's publicist said he was unsure whether the rapper would try to fill the remaining dates as a solo act. A statement from Island Def Jam Records, which Jay-Z is slated to take over, blamed Kelly's "lack of professionalism and unpredictable behavior" for cancellation of the tour. Kelly's court papers suggested that the tension between the two musicians was the result of Kelly's larger profit split: 60 percent of the first $15 million earned to Jay-Z's 40 percent. Kelly's lawsuit says Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, and his associates turned the tour into a "nightmare" by engaging "in a pattern of wrongful conduct" to get the promoter to exclude Kelly. Kelly's lawsuit asks for $15 million in compensatory damages and $60 million in punitive damages. On Friday night, court papers say, Kelly was performing when he noticed two men in the audience open their coats and display dark objects that he thought could have been guns. Kelly twice left the stage, once telling the audience that he was being "menaced." After police arrived and found nothing, Kelly returned to the stage, after which a Jay-Z associate pepper-sprayed Kelly and several members of his entourage, the suit says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpinJack AJ Posted November 2, 2004 Report Share Posted November 2, 2004 I've always thought Jay-Z waz a punk...and now i believe it more than ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.