Kelly Gets Best Of Countersuit
The original lawsuit claims Jay-Z and promoter Jeff Sharp of
Jay-Z’s $75 million counterclaim says it was Kelly who was responsible for the ultimate demise of Best of Both Worlds. According to the lawsuit, Jay-Z and the promoter allowed Kelly to have a higher percentage of net profits because of his financial need to combat accusations of having sex with an underage girl.
Even though the tour scheduled 10 days of rehearsals in Chicago’s Northern Illinois Convocation Center, Kelly “materialized several days later,” according to the suit, giving the tour insufficient time to rehearse adequately. The days that remained allegedly included an indifferent Kelly, who spent much of the time playing basketball.
According to the suit, a series of delays and cancellations followed, ultimately leading to an onstage breakdown at
The countersuit claims that no amount of persuasion or negotiation could keep Kelly from sabotaging the tour. It concludes that “Jay-Z performed all of his obligations pursuant to his agreement with Atlanta Worldwide.”
In response, Kelly attorney Ed Hayes told the Chicago Sun-Times his client “can sing and he can write songs better than anybody in the world. … Nobody expects creative geniuses to be like other people. People have been going to R. Kelly concerts for a long time and loving him. Jay-Z needed R. Kelly. R. Kelly didn’t need Jay-Z.”
The countersuit does not address the pepper spray incident that occurred after Kelly tried to return to the stage at Madison Square Garden. A Jay-Z crew member named “Ty Ty” Smith was arrested for allegedly macing Kelly as he approached the stage, sending the singer and two bodyguards to the hospital for treatment.
