Singer Ne-Yo sues the promoter of R. Kelly tours, Rowe Entertainment.
Ne-Yo, who was R. Kelly's opening act for his ongoing "Double Up" tour, was abruptly booted from the tour in November. Ne-Yo claims that someone from R. Kelly's camp asked Rowe to kick him off the tour because he was outshining Kelly.
Ne-Yo, whose real name is Shaffer Smith, and Compound Touring Inc. filed the suit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Georgia-based Rowe Entertainment Inc., alleging breach of contract and violation of the right of publicity.
Compound Touring and Smith are seeking unspecified damages, but the suit maintains he was to be paid $785,000 for 25 shows opening for Kelly's "Double-Up Tour" that began Nov. 14 and is still owed $735,000. Compound Touring, based in Los Angeles, provides the services of Smith for concert tours. Smith was allowed to perform during the Nov. 14 and 15 tour dates, then was fired prior to the scheduled Nov. 19 show, according to the suit.
"Plaintiffs ... allege ... that an unknown representative of R. Kelly urged Rowe to terminate Smith from the tour given the audience's and critics' more favorable reaction to Smith than the reaction to R. Kelly," the suit states. Compound Touring spent "substantial monies in preparation for the tour and turned down other touring and performance opportunities for Smith in reliance on Rowe's agreement that Smith would perform on the tour," according to the suit.
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