R. Kelly Raps Jay-Z with Lawsuit

It seems R. Kelly is not a happy person at present, and, as a result, Jay-Z has some problems on his hands.

After their joint Best of Both Worlds tour came to a crashing halt on Friday, Kelly filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Jay-Z and concert promoter Atlanta Worldwide, seeking damages of at least $75 million.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court, alleges that Jay-Z deliberately sabotaged the tour out of "spite and jealousy" toward Kelly's "superior audience draw and tour profit share." (The court documents are available for viewing on The Smoking Gun.)

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

On Friday, emotions came to a head at a sold-out performance when a member of Jay-Z's entourage purportedly pepper-sprayed Kelly and two of his bodyguards after Kelly walked off the Madison Square Garden stage mid-set, claiming that he saw two audience members waving guns.

Security staff searched the arena for the alleged gunmen, but found nothing suspicious; Kelly later admitted in a post-concert radio interview that he didn't actually see weapons.

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.

The "I Believe I Can Fly" singer was subsequently fired from the tour by the promoter, 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.

Kelly's breach of contract suit alleges that Jay-Z resorted to underhanded techniques, such as providing Kelly with poor onstage lighting to force him off the tour, before finally resorting to violence. Entourage member Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith was fingered as the man responsible for pepper-spraying Kelly, allegedly on instructions from Jay-Z himself, per Kelly's suit.

The court documents contend that the source of the animosity between the two performers was Kelly's supposedly larger cut of the profits--60 percent of the first $15 million earned to Jay-Z's 40 percent.

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."

Jay-Z performed a final concert Monday with several guest stars taking Kelly's place, including P. Diddy, Blige, Snoop Dogg, Pharell Williams, Slick Rick, Professor Griff, Doug E. Fresh, Foxy Brown, Kanye West, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes and Fabolous. "We don't need R&B tonight," Diddy said at the concert Monday in a dig at Kelly. "We've got hip-hop."

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 commercial 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.