Jay-Z & R. Kelly's Worlds War

Looks like Jay-Z and R. Kelly have gone from the Best of Both Worlds to the War of the Worlds.

The duo's trouble-plagued joint tour came to an abrupt end over the weekend after Kelly was allegedly pepper-sprayed in the face by a member of Jay-Z's entourage during a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on Friday. A promoter subsequently canceled the tour.

Alleging that Jay-Z sabotaged the tour out of "spite and jealousy" toward Kelly's "superior audience draw and tour profit share," Kelly on Monday filed a lawsuit against Jay-Z and concert promoter Atlanta Worldwide, seeking at least $75 million in damages.

The Best of Both Worlds tour had already been rumored to be on shaky ground, after reports surfaced that the two artists were on increasingly bad terms with each other.

Friday's pepper-spraying incident occurred after Kelly walked off the stage mid-set, claiming that he saw two audience members waving guns.

Security staff checked the arena and after finding nothing suspicious, told Kelly it was safe to return to the stage.

However, as he headed back onstage, Kelly and two of his bodyguards were apparently blasted with pepper spray by a peeved member of Jay-Z's entourage, purportedly upset by the delay in the concert.

Kelly and his bodyguards were treated at an area hospital and released, while Jay-Z and guest artists, including Mary J. Blige and Usher, continued performing.

Kelly was subsequently booted from the tour, having already walked off the stage during a performance in St. Louis, shown up two hours late for a performance in Chicago and caused concert delays in several other cities.

On Saturday, Kelly's publicist, Alan Mayer, claimed Kelly was "ready, willing and able" to continue with the tour, but that Jay-Z refused to perform with him.

"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 released a statement through his publicist on Monday blasting Kelly's "lack of professionalism and unpredictable behavior."

"Mr. Kelly has canceled three performances with less than 24 hours notice and has delayed multiple shows by hours. On Friday, Oct. 29, at a sold-out Madison Square Garden Show, Mr. Kelly made a statement from the stage claiming members of the audience were waving guns.

"Jay-Z sees that statement as the equivalent of screaming 'fire' in a crowded theater and was unable to continue with someone whose actions could potentially create a dangerous situation.

"In addition, based on his actions on the tour to this point, the statement from R. Kelly's publicist suggesting that Robert was 'ready, willing and able' to continue the tour lacks any credibility. In Chicago and Baltimore, R. Kelly was not 'ready.' In Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Hartford, R. Kelly was not 'willing.' In St. Louis and New York, R. Kelly was not 'able.' "

Jay-Z was scheduled to perform a final concert Monday with as-yet unannounced special guest stars taking Kelly's place. The Best of Both Worlds tour had originally been scheduled to run through Nov. 28.

It was unclear whether Jay-Z intended to try and fill the remaining dates with solo performances. Fans who were only interested in seeing Kelly perform were told they could return their tickets at the point of purchase for a refund.

The two artists have had a difficult relationship. They initially teamed up for 2002's joint album, The Best of Both Worlds. But Jay-Z vetoed a tour and skipped out on promotional appearances shortly afterward, once Kelly's infamous sex tape surfaced, eventually leading to charges of kiddie-porn possession. Kelly has pleaded innocent to the charges, but sales of the album tanked.

With Kelly's commerical appeal rebounding, the two artists regrouped earlier this year, but the harmony was short lived. Just a week ago, Kelly's publicist was denying rampant rumors that the two headliners weren't even speaking, with Jay-Z reportedly growing more frustrated with what he saw as Kelly's unprofessional behavior.

Meanwhile, despite the breakdown of their tour, the duo's new collaborative album, The Best of Both Worlds: Unfinished Business, released last Tuesday, is poised to hit number one on the Billboard charts this week, and Jay-Z is reportedly not thrilled at the prospect.

"It makes it seem like you can act any old way and still have a number one album," Jay-Z told the New York Times.

The Best of Both Worlds tour was supposed to be Jay-Z's last, as the 35-year-old impresario is due to take over as president of Universal Music Group's Island Def Jam label, having previously announced that he planned to retire from his musical career.