R. Kelly hit with pepper spray

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KaLiBaH

KaLiBaH

Sicc OG
#1
Apr 25, 2002
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NEW YORK - A member of rapper Jay Z's entourage released pepper spray at R. Kelly during a joint concert at Madison Square Garden, Kelly's publicist said. The spraying happened about an hour into Friday night's show, when Kelly walked onstage and said he saw two people in the audience waving guns, publicist Allan Mayer said.


Kelly abruptly stopped his set around 9:30 p.m. while MSG 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.


"I'm pretty sure Jay didn't realize what was going on," Mayer said in a phone interview.


All three men were treated at St. Vincent's Hospital and released, Mayer said.


Jay Z performed for another 45 minutes after Kelly was sprayed, Mayer 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 two are in the midst of a 40-city "Best of Both Worlds" tour, scheduled to run through Nov. 28.


The Chicago Sun-Times reported discord between the two performers after Kelly showed up more than two hours late for a show in Chicago this month.


New York City police said they had no information about Friday's incident.

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Da Yayologist

Da Yayologist

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#5
Jun 5, 2002
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IT'S OVER!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...89&e=4&u=/ap/20041031/ap_en_mu/people_r_kelly
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R. Kelly's Camp Considers Legal Action

Sun Oct 31,11:14 AM ET Entertainment - AP Music


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."
 
T

TOKZTLI

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#10
Jan 9, 2004
3,340
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#10
it gets funnier and funnier. R Kelly went out like a Biatch.
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R. Kelly sues Jay-Z over canceled tour



NEW YORK (Reuters) -- R&B singer R. Kelly Monday filed a $75 million breach-of-contract suit against fellow recording star Jay-Z, accusing the rapper and his associates of threats and violence that turned their joint tour into a "nightmare."

The "Best of Both Worlds" tour was canceled following a tumultuous performance Friday at Madison Square Garden during which Kelly abruptly left the stage after telling the audience he saw two men in the crowd brandishing guns.

Kelly said he and three of his bodyguards were confronted backstage a short time later by a member of Jay-Z's entourage who blasted them in the face with pepper spray.

Meanwhile, a security sweep of the concert hall failed to find any weapons, and the sold-out show resumed as Jay-Z performed with guest stars Usher and Mary J. Blige.

Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, issued a statement through his record label Monday saying it was Kelly who had created a "dangerous situation" by claiming to have seen guns being waved in the audience. The statement said it was "the equivalent of screaming 'fire' in a crowded theater."

"Only the professionalism of Jay-Z and other entertainers ... on Friday prevented a disaster and saved the evening," the rapper added.

The promoter of the 40-city-plus joint tour, which began September 29, canceled the remainder of the dates Saturday after Jay-Z said he was unwilling to perform with Kelly again, according to Allan Mayer, a Kelly spokesman.

On Saturday, Jay-Z returned to the Garden to perform without Kelly and has continued to appear on his own with other guest entertainers.

In his lawsuit, filed state Supreme Court in Manhattan, Kelly said Friday night's incident marked the latest example of how Jay-Z and his associates had turned what had been an "historic and highly anticipated tour ... into a nightmare" that was "motivated by spite and jealousy."

He said the rapper and his supporters "engaged in conduct intentionally designed to exclude R. Kelly from the tour, including threats and acts of violence."

Media reports about bad blood between Kelly and Jay-Z surfaced soon after the tour was launched in Chicago, with the cancellation of several subsequent shows. Mayer said Kelly had called off a number of tour dates because of "production problems due to Jay-Z's people sabotaging the show."

The suit seeks $15 million in compensatory damages and at least $60 million in punitive damages.



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