http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=5028
R. Kelly Files New Lawsuit Against Jay-Z
By Nolan Strong
Date: 11/5/2005 3:30 pm
R&B singer R. Kelly has filed a new lawsuit against rapper, mogul and Def Jam President Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, stemming from last year’s disastrous “Best of Both Worlds Tour.”
Kelly filed the lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court, claiming that the man who peppered sprayed him at the Oct. 2004 Madison Square Garden tour stop was rewarded with a job at Def Jam.
The embattled R&B singer claims the hiring of Tyran “Ty-Ty” Smith – who is currently awaiting trial for assault over the incident – proves that Smith was “acting within the scope and course of his employment by Jay-Z."
Handlers for Jay-Z claim the entire lawsuit is a publicity stunt meant to divert attention away from his upcoming felony trial involving an alleged sexual incident with a 14-year-old girl.
A Chicago, Illinois Judge recently ruled that Kelly must stand trial over the alleged violations.
The “Best of Both Worlds Tour” was a disaster from the beginning. The tour was supposed to capitalize off of an album of the same name, which was shelved when an alleged videotape of Kelly having sex with an underage girl surfaced and spread.
The album was retooled and released as The Best of Both Worlds, Unfinished Business, but was greeted with lukewarm sales, despite the superstar status of both artists, who have sold over 60 million records combined.
“The first night [in Chicago] was terrible,” Jay-Z said directly after the Madison Square Garden fiasco. “I’m waiting in my white suit for two hours. The guy don’t come downstairs…you don’t do that. I’m like, ‘I don’t work for you, B.’ I gave him that leeway, because that’s his town.”
Kelly claimed that several songs into his performance, unidentified men in the crowd flashed guns in his direction, prompting him to storm off of the stage.
He said that when he tried to return to finish his performance, Smith maced him and several associates, prompting a trip to the hospital, where Kelly and crew were treated and released.
In November of 2004, Smith was arrested and formally charged with misdemeanor assault violations over the incident.
Kelly was booted from the remainder of the tour and filed a $90 million breach of contract lawsuit against Jay-Z, who answered Kelly’s suit with his own.
Jay-Z's suit alleges Kelly would cry “hysterically" at times and even left a show in St. Louis where he went to a local McDonald's and “began to serve food to patrons at the drive-thru."
11-06-2005
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